26 replies to this topic

[2 π R]

This Saturday will be a mailtence and unofficial practice day up at Penrose Velodrome. The weather is a little iffy with a chance of showers mid-day and a better chance later in the afternoon. I have yet been up there myself but with all of the work that was done in the past we should not need that much, that is if your are not counting patching the race surface itself.

So this Saturday I will be up there about 9 am for at least a couple of hours (noonish) to 1. assess what is needed to get the track ready for this years series. 2. to do what we can as far as clean up and maintence goes. and 3. to have a unstructured practice day. This would be a great opportunity for anyone who is without track experience to get up there and try it out. I do have rentals/loaner bikes available, if you need one please contact me through this thread or site to makke the proper arrangements.

I have to work at noon Sunday but Sunday morning is another opportunity for maintence and practice. I am only planning on Saturday at thhis point. Me being there Sunday depends on the needs of you riders.

See you all Saturday

@swikles

[2 π R]

The weather forecast is not good for riding the track tomorrow morning but I am still hopeful and I will be up there no matter what. The only question is when and this will depend on the radar images viewed in the morning. I will post something here if it is raining hard. If it is a very light rain and/or intermittent then we will just have to see.

I will post here and tweet about any changes for tomorrow then. @swikles

[tomabrem]

Thanks for keeping us posted, I am hoping this goes through!

I will be up there unless it is called or raining super heavy. Just hoping to get the RHP from Robert out there for the first time.

[robertm]

I'm thinking Ill be there around 9:30 or so, running a little late.

[nomoretickets]

My weather Chanel app shows it to be partly cloudy with just 4mph wind until 2pm when we are going to see some scattered thunderstorms roll in. Looks like we might be able to get a couple of hours in. I'll be heading out from south county here in a bit

[2 π R]

Oh that went well. Those who helped were able to weed between the track and the turn fences entirely. Thanks to Chak, Tony, Jim, Gus, Zach, Tom, Jojo, Robert, and Bill. Now I need to look into filling in some of the cracks. Those atop the surface in turns one and two are getting rather large. And with the majority of landscape work done, that opens up weekend time for other tasks and to ride. I will post more later but here is the thought; the first and third weekends in April are open for me and I would like to hold some informal workouts and/or instruction for newer track riders. More info to come.

Thanks again to those who helped today, those who have helped in the past as well as the local cycling community/family.
@swikles

[robertm]

Great day today at the track!  Thanks Steven for helping to keep the dream alive!

[billh]

2 π R, on 24 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

Oh that went well. Those who helped were able to weed between the track and the turn fences entirely. Thanks to Chak, Tony, Jim, Gus, Zach, Tom, Jojo, Robert, and Bill. Now I need to look into filling in some of the cracks. Those atop the surface in turns one and two are getting rather large.

Zach and I fired up the torch after everyone was done riding and tested it on a couple cracks.  Didn't see very many thorns in the cracks but there is a lot of mulch so the torch basically burned a lot of mulch.  I heard there were a lot of dried thorns in the mulched ground above the crack but can't burn those without also setting all the mulch on fire so not finding the torch very useful for dead thorn control.

However, I think it might come in handy for patching because we heated up some of the old patch that had separated and crumbled, the heat made it nice soft and malleable so you could toe it in.  Probably could use a heavy tamper to get it as smooth as possible.

[nomoretickets]

billh, on 24 March 2012 - 02:30 PM, said:

2 π R, on 24 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

Oh that went well. Those who helped were able to weed between the track and the turn fences entirely. Thanks to Chak, Tony, Jim, Gus, Zach, Tom, Jojo, Robert, and Bill. Now I need to look into filling in some of the cracks. Those atop the surface in turns one and two are getting rather large.

However, I think it might come in handy for patching because we heated up some of the old patch that had separated and crumbled, the heat made it nice soft and malleable so you could toe it in.  Probably could use a heavy tamper to get it as smooth as possible.

one good day with the torch and a bag or two of asphalt patching stuff and we could get the cracks below the stayers line filled in to smooth out the racing section for sure, as well as some of those big nasty ones up top.

Thanks Steven for putting this together, it was good to get some time in out there. Keep us posted on those April dates.

[TYLERbick]

The Hub has graciously donated two bags of asphalt patch, and the use of a tamper so we can get a start on patching.  Right now they are in the back of my car, and I have no idea when I will be able to get to penrose with them.  If anyone has a free morning some time this week we could try to hook up.   Call/text/pm me.

Three three zero-0828

Tyler

[Thomas13ss]

I have not seen the crack so I can not say forsure but it sounds as if the cracks need to be cut out and then filled with concrete. Also I suspect some expasion cuts in the surface would help with future cracks. With the track belonging to the city could we even do this or do they even care? You guys have taken great steps in caring for the track so I do not want to step on any ones toes. Let me know if you need help with the cuts though.

Thomas

[robertm]

Thomas13ss, on 25 March 2012 - 11:38 AM, said:

I have not seen the crack so I can not say forsure but it sounds as if the cracks need to be cut out and then filled with concrete. Also I suspect some expasion cuts in the surface would help with future cracks. With the track belonging to the city could we even do this or do they even care? You guys have taken great steps in caring for the track so I do not want to step on any ones toes. Let me know if you need help with the cuts though.

Thomas

The surface is not concrete, its asphalt.  One could say that our current surface is "ruined" or as Andy Coggan put it a while ago "unrideable"...  Expansion cuts might be out of the realm of possibilities because the patching that we are looking to do has to do with the newer surface sliding off of the old surface around the top of the track there is a crack about 4 inches across around the whole thing... so the patching is a temporary holdover so nobody's wheels get swallowed.

[robertm]

additionally, the city isn't going to help any time soon, they just show up whenever and mow the grass.

[billh]

it would be great if someone who knows about asphalt repairs could look at the cracks and give a recommendation on how to do the patching.

Looks like Bill Howard with THF Realty in 2005 looked seriously into repaving, there's some technical details here . . .

http://mobra.lockerd...com/pages/72487

Any patching is a temp fix to keep the water and ice out of the cracks during the winter.  The problem is not really the cracks, but the high and low areas, or dips, which most people agree is a problem with the substrate, so even if you repave it, the dips will eventually come back.

just like the weeding, the asphalt patch should be routine annual maintenance to slow the degradation as much as possible.

ps--here's the thread from 2007 where they talk about the 2005 renovation where they spent $25K!  That's a big chunk of change, but it turned out even $25K is not enough to keep it smooth for 7 years . . .

http://stlbiking.com...y-improvements/

Quote

I can go into more detail if you want, but the improvements you are talking about are in the neighborhood of $ 200,000 plus. Currently there isn't anybody pursuing that route. There is no way to smooth it out without completely removing whats there and repaving it. The recent renovations were around 25 K if I remember correctly. Now, 200 or 300K is a lot of money to me, but its not a lot of meoney to some people, but no one has ever come forward with the cash and the interest to make it happen.

pps-- going waaaay, back found this thread about a $1000 donation . . .

http://stlbiking.com...ch__1#entry4337

Quote

Posted 13 December 2005 - 08:47 PM
Give Bill Howard some props. He managed to get a $1000 donation from Gerard Bisceglia, head of USA Cycling for the Velodrome. Bill saw it through.

Thanks

mikew

ppps--here's the earliest post I could find on Penrose, from Oct 2005, about a work day to plant trees in the spectator area . . .

http://stlbiking.com...orkday-penrose/

Edited by billh, 25 March 2012 - 08:26 PM.

[robertm]

bill those are some good finds...  Its true, theres no way to resurface it without completely rebuilding it.  Polishing a turd...its still a turd...  But an outdoor concrete track 333 or 250 or whatever is not a turd and infact is a nice outdoor track.

Its a trip reading those old posts...

Edited by robertm, 25 March 2012 - 08:52 PM.