Bundaberg Cycling Club members have returned to night racing after the upgrade to lights at Kevin Brogden Memorial Velodrome.
Bundaberg Cycling Club president Wayne Morden said the $130,000 light upgrade was made possible by various government grants including from Bundaberg Regional Council and local business All LED Direct.
Wayne said the new lights made an astonishing difference to night-racing visibility and he was grateful for the support from Council.
“Previously we had these massive halogen lights, and the problem we had was the lighting being produced by them didn’t meet Cycling Australia standards, which meant cycling at night became too risky,” he said.
“A large part of last season we ended up racing on Saturday afternoons through the summer, and with the heat it was not ideal.”
He said a large reason behind the upgrade was because of the attraction of large events such as Cyclefest International to the Kevin Brogden Memorial Velodrome.
Wayne said locally-based All LED Direct typically specialises in lighting for mining sites, and were branching out to sporting facilities, and he said it was great to have that partnership.
He said the new lighting is reactive and enabled cyclist to have more awareness on the track.
“It’s almost like riding in daytime now,” Wayne said.
“With the lights now we have so much less risk.”
Project manager Kerry Devine played a key role in helping to secure the new lights. He said the sport was close to his heart, so it meant a lot to now see them switched on.
Kerry has a long history of almost 50 years with Bundaberg Cycling Club, and he said it was fantastic to see the new lights installed during his term.
“I’ve had three children come through the sport, so it’s been exciting to be here and help the executive team with this as I have a great passion for the sport,” Kerry said.
Wayne said Bundaberg Cycling Club were now in discussion with other local organisations to hold their community events at the track because of the fantastic light available.
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