Cyclists 'pumped' for new southwest Calgary bicycle pump track
It's full of twists, turns and steep curves, and features 275 metres of asphalt track — the South Glenmore Park bicycle pump track is the first of its kind in Calgary.
And 13-year-old Ellis Russell already has a favourite part.
"I think the turns, because they're pretty high up. So you can get a lot of speed when going on them," Russell said.
The park, which became officially accessible to the public on Aug. 15, is located just south of the Glenmore Reservoir on 90th Avenue S.W.
The new park features two tracks side by side. One is shorter than the other, and geared toward less experienced riders.
Ten-year-old Nathalie Herrera tried it despite being a little apprehensive.
"I got afraid at first, because I saw it, it was super high. But I tried it and it was super fun," Herrera said.
The track was designed by Velosolutions, a company from Quebec that has been building a number of these designed features for other cities.
The track is a collaboration between Parks Foundation Calgary, the City of Calgary, the Calgary Foundation, Mountain Equipment Co-op and the Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance.
The price tag on the project was $500,000, raised strictly through donations and grants.
Sheila Taylor, the CEO of Parks Foundation Calgary, said the new track is something the group plans to keep track of.
"We're quite excited to study this park and the usage of it, to see if it's something we could duplicate or improve upon in the future," Taylor said.
