Barra Velodrome, Track cycling venue in Barra da Tijuca, Brazil.
The Barra Velodrome was an indoor track cycling venue in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, with a 250-metre wooden track built from Siberian pine by Sander Douma Architects. It had a capacity of 1,500 spectators and was part of the City of Sports Complex constructed for the 2007 Pan American Games.
Construction began in October 2006 on the site of the Nelson Piquet International Autodrome and the venue opened on 11 July 2007, at a cost of R$14.1 million. It hosted track cycling and speed roller skating at the 2007 Pan American Games. The UCI judged it unfit for the Olympics, so it was demolished in 2013 and its parts sent to Pinhais, Paraná.
The track was designed and built in the Netherlands by Sander Douma Architects using Siberian pine, the first wooden track in Brazil and the second in South America. After the 2007 Pan American Games it hosted few events, and the venue stood largely unused until its demolition in 2013.
The site is no longer accessible as the building was demolished years ago. The location cannot be visited today and there is no active facility operating at this address.
The structural pillars inside the building created serious visibility problems for spectators and officials during races. This design flaw remained a known frustration throughout the facility's operating years.
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