Welcome to the Velodrome | Stories

“Anytime I get on the track, I just start smiling. It’s awesome.”

Edmonton cyclist Madeline Magleo loves the city’s new indoor velodrome at Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre. The Alberta Velodrome, which opened in October 2025, is the first of its kind in Western Canada—a 250-metre Category A wooden track certified to host national and international cycling events.

Magleo, 16, competed in the velodrome’s first major event—the 2026 Canadian Track Championships for under-17 and junior riders in March. She won bronze in the junior match sprint, which pits two cyclists against each other. (She clocked speeds of close to 62 km/h during the competition.)

“I love racing track,” she says. “I like the speed of it. Go fast, go hard.”

Three cyclists, in single file, race on the wooden track of an indoor velodrome.

A teen girl, wearing a helmet, a Team Alberta bike jersey and shorts, walks her bike up a curved concrete ramp inside a velodrome.

Madeline Magleo trains three times a week with Polaris Academy, a high-performance program led by local cycling legend and 1984 Olympian Alex Ongaro.

Magleo is quickly making a name for herself in the cycling world. She started racing as a member of Edmonton’s Juventus Cycling Club in 2023. Two years later, she won the 500-metre time trial at the U17/Junior national championships. She was also named the Alberta Bicycle Association’s 2025 Female Athlete of the Year.

She hopes to compete in the Olympics one day, following in the pedal strokes of gold medallists and Edmonton-area cycling greats Lori-Ann Muenzer (2004) and Kelsey Mitchell (2020).

Thanks to the Alberta Velodrome, Magleo can now train on a track all-year round. (Previously, cyclists used the outdoor Argyll Velodrome, which was only open for six months of the year.)

“I’m just super lucky to have this new track,” she says.

“Without it, you always felt like you were at a disadvantage. Being able to ride the track during the winter, it also helps mentally because training on a stationary bike is draining. Whereas at the velodrome, you’re moving, you’re going fast, you feel the speed and it keeps your legs awake and it keeps you motivated. So it’s been a really big help to train and improve. I’ve seen a lot more improvement this winter season than last.”

More importantly, Magleo thinks the Alberta Velodrome will encourage more people of all ages to take up cycling. The track is part of Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre, which includes indoor courts, weights, yoga and dance studios, and Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre.

“There’s a whole bunch of other activities and sports for people to do here and when they see the velodrome and people riding the track, they want to try it,” she says. “So it brings more awareness to our sport and increases the cycling community, which is the ultimate goal. Making our sport more common, not a rare sport.”

The Alberta Velodrome Association, which operates the track, offers training programs for youth (11 to 15 years), women, and beginner/intermediate cyclists. There are also open track sessions for beginners, youth, and 50+. To take part in those, cyclists need to complete four levels of certification to learn bike handling, riding the track and track etiquette/safety. (A rental bike is included in the cost of the classes.)

A bike, locked to a circular bike rack, stands in front of an oval-shaped building covered with windows and coppery tiles.

“We’re creating more opportunities for our riders to stretch their abilities so our riders will become more experienced,” says Tanya Dubnicoff, general manager of the AVA. “The No. 1 thing is to make sure everyone feels welcome no matter what level they’re at.”

Seven cyclists, including six in Juventus Cycling Club bike jerseys and shorts, sit on their bikes and rest their arms on the silver railing circling the interior perimeter of an indoor cycling track.

Members of Juventus Cycling Club take a quick breather during one of its weekly track sessions at the Alberta Velodrome.

Local cycling clubs, including Juventus, Velocity and l’Gregari, each host weekly sessions for their members at the velodrome. Its next-door neighbour, Ross Sheppard High School, runs a cycling program for its students. In June 2026, the velodrome will host the first championships for local high school students.

“I think the ability to expose young riders to the track is going to be huge,” says Amanda Scott, a cycling coach and member of the AVA’s board of directors.

“Not only because we’re going to get more podiums for young athletes, but we also know that exposure to a whole bunch of different sports is what makes lifelong athletes—not just training in one sport from the age of 12 up.”

Scott started cycling to commute to university, then joined the Edmonton Road and Track Club (ERTC). She’s now one of the club’s coaches. She was also the race director of the 2026 Canadian Track Championships (U17/Jr) at the Alberta Velodrome.

“I like cycling, I like going fast, I like the freedom, I like the social aspect of it, which is why I’ve been a member of the same cycling club for 10 years,” she says. “I really like the community that comes with it.”

Many of the city’s clubs, including ERTC, Juventus and Velocity, include recreational and racing opportunities for road cycling, mountain biking and track. Membership also includes insurance coverage and social activities.

Three cyclists race in single file on a wooden track in an indoor velodrome.

Amanda Scott, centre, trains with Polaris Academy.

Two groups of cyclists ride on the wooden track of an indoor velodrome.

A cyclist, wearing a helmet, glasses, gloves and a skin suit, rides a bike on the indoor track of a velodrome.

Albert Nguyen rides the track during a session for ERTC members. Photo courtesy of Nick Croken.

“If you’ve ever taken on a new hobby, you realize that it’s so hard to get your friends interested,” says Albert Nguyen, president of the ERTC.

“But being part of a cycling club, you don’t have to go through the heartache of trying to build and grow your own way. I think the primary thing we offer is we’re a ready-made group of people who already share a lot of the same things you’re into.”

Nguyen thinks the Alberta Velodrome will encourage more people to try (or resume) cycling—especially those who don’t like to ride on roads—and even join a club. Not only does the indoor track provide more safety, he says the design of the facility is impressive.