Empty racetracks exude a strange fascination. Even when they are silent and deserted, you can still hear the roar of the engines and smell the scent of burnt rubber and petrol. Cycling is in itself a silent form of transport, but above the concrete oval of the race track in Bielefeld you can also hear the hum of engines. This may be due to the fact that this race track was built in the 1950s as a stage for the then popular stand-up and derny races, in which daredevil cyclists raced around the 333.33 metre-long track at crazy speeds in the slipstream of motorbikes or mopeds. Its purpose can still be seen today in the high and, at 46 degrees, extremely steep bends.
Sven Harter has known the track for decades as a racer. In 1988, he and his partner Christian Dippel became German amateur stand-up champions. Even today, the 60-year-old is still fascinated by the sport of stand-up racing on the track in Bielefeld, which he describes as follows: "It's old, it's long, it's designed for stand-up racing and you can go really fast on it." And he adds: "I've already travelled at 115 km/h on it."
Bielefeld racecourse: New racecourse in the era of the economic miracle
If it is true that sport is always a mirror of society, the creation and history of the Bielefeld track are a perfect reflection of people's wishes and inclinations after the war. As early as 1946, members of RC Zugvogel Bielefeld set about realising their dream of a new cycling track. There was a strong desire to leave the horrors and hardships of the war behind and create something new. People longed for distraction and diversion and to once again be able to indulge in what could be described as "innocent" enthusiasm as spectators, to cheer on athletes whose competition remained peaceful and whose marvellous achievements and courage could be glorified as heroic deeds with a clear conscience. The new track was designed by Clemens Schürmann from Münster, whose architectural firm in Münster was already specialising in cycling tracks at the time and still designs facilities all over the world today, including the Olympic tracks in Barcelona, Seoul and Beijing. However, the work soon had to be cancelled; the city of Bielefeld had changed its transport plans, the promised site was no longer available, and there was great anger and disappointment, especially in the cycling club.
Built on 41,000 cubic metres of war rubble
It took a few years before the RC was able to make a new attempt. In 1950, the city council decided to authorise the construction of a racecourse in the In den Heeper Fichten recreational area in the east of the city. The fact that the city of Bielefeld, as a centre of the bicycle industry with traditional brands such as Dürkopp and Rabeneick, wanted to cultivate its image as a cycling city may also have played a role in this decision. Architect Clemens Schürmann again contributed the design and now the facility was actually to take shape. The ground-breaking ceremony took place in October 1950. Founded on more than 41,000 cubic metres of war rubble, a masterpiece of structural engineering was created - almost entirely by hand. The interior was lowered, the track poured seamlessly from prestressed concrete; the grandstands were enthroned six metres above and surrounded the track with 9,000 standing and 6,000 seats. Even back then, construction costs were already soaring. The approved budget of 350,000 Deutschmarks ended up being more than 600,000 Deutschmarks. Unfortunately, the city council's hope that the local bicycle industry would help finance the facility was not realised.
When the first starting shot was fired on 14 June 1953, hardly anyone was likely to have minded. The spectator stands were filled to the last seat, local celebrities came to do the honours and the architect Clemens Schümann also inspected the work. By the end of the year, 50,000 people had already attended the races on the new track, which at the time could be considered the fastest and most modern race track in the whole of Europe.
Bielefeld racecourse: Stand-up race draws the crowds
In the years that followed, the standing races in particular were a crowd-puller. Tens of thousands of spectators flocked to the arena and marvelled at the records. In the 1960 standing race, Dortmund racing driver Karlheinz Marsell increased the average speed to 76.6 km/h over an hour. Spectacular races and records were also set with motorbikes, with the fastest race being completed at an average speed of 122.5 km/h.
However, the success of the early years could not hide the fact that the cycle track would never bring the city the hoped-for income to recoup the investment. Bielefeld's bicycle companies had little to counter the general trend towards motorisation, and they largely failed as sponsors. Local cycling stars, who would have attracted spectators to the arena, were missing, and the sport of stand-up cycling was losing interest overall. Attempts to attract other sports and organise events in the interior of the velodrome repeatedly produced pictures worth seeing and entertaining news with horse riding tournaments, hockey, boxing matches and concerts, but contributed little to profitability.
It is primarily thanks to the RC Zugvogel, the support association and many other cycling clubs from the region that, after many difficult years, people are still training and racing on the track. Today, the track is even a sports facility and monument in one. In 2010, the AG Radrennbahn proposed that the building be listed as a historical monument and was successful with the responsible monument authority in Münster. Since then, the velodrome has been a protected monument: as a symbol of the former cycling centre of Bielefeld, as a masterpiece of structural engineering and as the work of the Münster-based architecture firm Schürmann. Since June 2014, a support association has also been campaigning for the preservation of the racecourse. The city authorities have also long since recognised that the racecourse makes a significant contribution to raising the profile of Bielefeld in the region and beyond. Accordingly, the city council is committed to preserving the architectural monument. "The local politicians are behind it," says Gerhard Dirkschnieder from the sponsors' association and explains: "After our anniversary event, a crack was discovered in the carriageway; the city repaired it immediately."
The fascination of the racecourse
In its 70th anniversary year, the "concrete bowl" is very lively and the endless track is busy. This includes, for example, the summer track championships for licensed athletes from May, track racing for beginners, the Open Track Days, which are aimed at the fixie scene, and of course the stand-up races.
Riding on an open-air track of this size is fascinating. The concrete track, which appears so even from the outside, is rough and cracked, with waves and small bumps constantly gripping the handlebars. Wind becomes a particular pleasure when it pushes in one direction and then brakes powerfully half a lap later. If you're an amateur athlete looking up into one of the steep bends, you can't imagine how you're supposed to ride your bike up there, almost seven metres above the ground. "You have to be fast," says Gerhard Dirkschnieder from the sponsoring organisation, who also likes to ride the track regularly, "you should be able to do at least 50 km/h. And you have to be brave. And you have to be brave. I don't do it."
The fact that the track is also fun for cyclists without a motorised slipstream is due to the famous "Steher-Knick": the lower or inner third of the track is inclined to match the speed of classic track cyclists, while the gradient of the bends increases drastically above this, so that the high speeds of the racers behind motorbikes are possible in the first place.
Adrenalin kick and a feeling of freedom
For Sven Harter and his son Luca, it's one of the most natural things you can do on a racing bike - preferably in the slipstream of one of the 750cc Triumph motorbikes at the Bielefeld race track. "It's absolutely fascinating to circle the track with several teams, at 80 to 90 km/h, sometimes approaching 100," says 20-year-old Luca Harter, "the feeling of speed, the concentration, that's something special. You're aware of the danger, but that's part of the fascination." He didn't pick up his enthusiasm for the sport with his mother's milk - "My mum recently watched it again after a long time. She said whether I was actually crazy" - but in his father's slipstream it was practically inevitable. "The track was something like the centre of my life for many years," says Harter senior, who has represented the German Cyclists' Federation at several standing world championships and now runs a day care centre in normal life. He even moved to Bielefeld for a few years because of the race track. He describes what keeps him climbing into the saddle of his upright bike, even at the age of 60: "It's an incredible feeling of freedom, the faster you can go, a real adrenaline rush." And adds with a laugh: Unfortunately, I don't get that on a normal bike on the mountain."
However, to ensure that track cycling and standing races can continue to take place on the concrete track, major renovation work is required: "In the next three to five years, around 1.5 million euros will probably be needed to maintain the monument," estimates Gerhard Dirkschnieder, who hopes that the sum can be raised. After all, although the track is "only" a monument, it is also the backbone of track cycling in the region, for young talent, licensed athletes and, last but not least, for amateur cyclists.
The next events at the Bielefeld velodrome
12 August 2023
International Standing Cup and NRW State Track Championships
10 September 2023
Day of the open monument
There are no races on this day, but plenty of background information, guided tours, exhibitions, a documentary film and refreshments
Thomas Musch
Publisher
