Jul 15, 2007 By Christine Haines 4 min read

The USA Cycling Road Festival at Seven Springs, a national event that has featured several types of road racing for bicyclists, comes to a close Monday after two weeks of racing, but not without having made a local impact. “Over the two weeks that we’re here, there will be about 2,500 competitors,” said Steve Johnson, executive director of USA Cycling. “They bring their support staff and significant others and families and friends, so it’s a significant number.”

Of course, not everyone who participated in the races brought an entourage, and some, such as Ronald Kolowitz of Belle Vernon, were only on site for a day or part of a day to participate in a single race.

Kolowitz, 59, was one of at least two Fayette County residents who participated in the event, as did numerous other Pennsylvanians. He placed 20th out of 34 in the Masters Time Trial’s 50 to 59 age group.

“I started late in life. This is my 14th year. I’ve been a member (of USA Cycling) since 1993. I rode mountain bikes before that,” Kolowitz said.

Kolowitz is a member of the Allegheny Cycling Association, which holds weekly competitions in the Pittsburgh area. Kolowitz said he enjoys the camaraderie of cycling as he competes in events around the region when he travels for business. Time trials are an individual event.

“You can’t draft behind anyone. It’s you against a clock,” Kolowitz said.

Despite his participation in events in Pittsburgh, Kolowitz is used to solo cycling.

“I ride mile after mile after mile. I go from Belle Vernon, down Route 201 to Connellsville and back. I’ve been known to go to Somerset and back. I loop around the area. Sometimes I go to Brownsville and up Albany Hill,” Kolowitz said.

Kolowitz said he trains in the winter by putting his bike on a set of rollers. In all, he logs between 5,800 and 6,000 miles a year on his bicycle. He’s followed the prospects of an indoor velodrome in Brownsville with some interest.

“I guess it would go well. On alternate Fridays, we do have track events in Pittsburgh,” Kolowitz said.

The other local participant was Steve Kreis, also of Belle Vernon, who placed 25th in the Masters Time Trial’s 35 to 39 age category. He could not be reached for comment.

Johnson said road racing is more popular in the United States than track cycling, although track cycling is popular in other countries and is an Olympic event.

“Track cycling is a much smaller sport, which is what we’re trying to address. We’re encouraging road riders to look at the track,” Johnson said.

Johnson said that track cycles, which have a single gear and no brakes, are much less expensive than road or mountain bikes.

“You can get a good track bike for $300,” Johnson said.

Johnson said track cycling events at a velodrome attract about 250 participants, plus coaches and mechanics. Johnson said that on average, there are two support team members for each five cyclists for a track event.

There are 22 velodromes in the United States. Currently there is only one indoor velodrome built to international competition standards and it is located in Carson, Calif. Another is planned near Valley Forge, outside of Philadelphia. Johnson said maintenance can be expensive for an indoor track.

“As I’ve told the Brownsville group, the real challenge with a velodrome is not so much generating the resources to build it, but the maintenance. Once it’s done, you have the ongoing costs to keep the lights on; you’ve got to manage the internal environment to protect the wood; so those are all things that have to be considered,” Johnson said.

Johnson said indoor wooden tracks require about 70 percent humidity, without major changes in temperature or humidity that could cause the wood to swell or contract, which can cause cracks.

The plans for a velodrome in Brownsville are still in very preliminary stages, with real estate management firm CB Richard Ellis currently seeking funding for a feasibility study on behalf of Brownsville Borough.