The track surface is concrete, 334m per lap, and has a maximum banking of 22 degrees in the turns and 13 degrees in the straights. The transitions are smooth and the turns are round-which makes the track very similar to the Major Taylor and T-Town tracks. The blue band is on the banked surface and this provides added safety. There is a brand new asphalt apron around the inside of the track and a separate warm-up circle that can be used during racing. There is a new 50’ by 100’ concrete pad in the infield for trainers, rollers, and tent canopies, and the remainder of the infield is healthy grass. All of the walkways around the track and connecting to the parking lots are also new asphalt. There are grandstands on the home stretch and backstretch areas.
The velodrome sits within Hellyer County Park and the Coyote Creek Parkway. The 205-acre park also includes a lake with fishing for rainbow trout, 15 miles of off-street bike trails, extensive picnic areas under the trees, a 1-mile nature trail, and other activity areas.The local weather in early September is comfortable, with low humidity, daytime temperatures in the 80’s and evenings in the low to mid-70’s, and no measurable rain. Light, westerly breezes coming over the nearby coastal mountains keep the air clean with a slight scent of the nearby Eucalyptus trees.
Getting to Hellyer Park via airplane is easy-the San José International Airport is less than 15 minutes away and the San Francisco and Oakland airports are less than an hour away. There are dozens of hotels within 15 minutes of the Velodrome.
San José is the third largest city in California and the 10th largest city in the U.S. Within a 15-minute drive are silicon valley’s Tech Museum of Innovation, a hands-on technology and science museum; Winchester Mystery House; San José Museum of Art; and a robust downtown San José. Also within a 15-minute drive from Hellyer Park are the wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains Appellation. There are over forty, small, family-owned wineries in the region producing premium wine.
Fifty minutes north of Hellyer Park is world-renowned San Francisco. There’s plenty to see and do at Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Pacific Ocean, Twin Peaks, Chinatown, and more.
Riders and their families, staff and officials can make other easy day trips (all within 100 miles) to Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley wineries, Santa Cruz beaches and Boardwalk along the Pacific Ocean, Monterey and Carmel, nearby National Parks, Great America theme park, and other well-known attractions. Yosemite National Park and Los Angeles are less than 5 hours away by car.
