A highly anticipated new pump track facility in Fife will be given its official opening on Saturday, July 16 – and people young and old are being invited to join in the celebrations between 11am and 5pm.
Around £200,000 has been spent on transforming the old run down BMX track alongside Kennoway’s Sandy Brae Community Centre into a state-of-the-art resource that will not only benefit local riders and organisations but will attract visitors from much further afield.
The fully floodlit free-to-use track, which has been designed and created by global specialists Velosolutions, has been built to competition standard, so it is perhaps fitting that inspirational Fife rider Gillian Stewart, a former world 24 hour mountain bike champion, 24 hour Strathpuffer champion and former British Cross Country bike champion, will be on hand to cut the ribbon on the facility at 12.30pm.
Ex-Scottish downhill mountain bike champions Tea Jensen and Brandon Gonsales will provide some demonstration laps of the track; The Clan, Scotland’s famous cycle stunt team, will wow the crowds with three shows at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm; and the team from Woody’s Skatepark in Kirkcaldy will also provide skateboarding skills and inline skate demos.
And there will also be designated track time for children, teenagers, adults and women and girls, as well as separate track time for scooters and skateboarders during the day.
Live music, sponsored by Fife Properties, will include a set from Kennoway’s very own Steph Gilmour from 12pm and a three-hour gig from local covers band The Signals – along with guest guitarist Alex Harrower – from 2pm to 5pm, while there will be refreshments on site, a huge prize raffle and giveaways including bikes, vouchers and clothing.
Councillor Colin Davidson, convenor of Fife Council’s Levenmouth area committee, hopes the pump track’s opening day is a milestone the whole community can get behind.
“The investment and installation of the new track will offer opportunities to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents and to attract visitors to the area,” he said.
“The residents and council officers involved in bringing this state-of-the-art facility to Kennoway deserve a huge amount of credit, especially when it was conceived, constructed and delivered against the backdrop of Covid.
“We can look forward to the track being used not just by locals but also to host local and national events.”
Pump tracks include rollers, banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders generating momentum by up and down body movements, instead of pedalling or pushing.
They can be used by mountain bike, BMX, skateboard, rollerblade and scooter riders, inline skaters and wheelchair users, and are an increasingly popular way to encourage exercise, whilst developing balancing and bike handling skills in a safe environment away from traffic.
Local man Gavin Harrower, the man behind the project, said: “This event on the July 16 should be a great way to showcase Fife’s first Velosolutions head-to-head pump track and It is our intention to try and showcase not only the use of bikes at this facility but to show all aspects of wheeled sport including scooter and skateboarders as well as hopefully inline skates.
“We’re really happy that Kirkcaldy-based mountain bike champion Gillian Stewart has agreed to open the track and we look forward to seeing the Levenmouth community visit on the day and over the next few months and hope they find the track a great addition to active sports facilities within Fife and Levenmouth.
“Along with the fantastic live music on offer, demos, raffle and giveaways, we’re sure there will be something for everyone.”
The pump track has been funded via a range of sources including sportscotland’s Cycling Facilities Fund, Fife Council, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Levenmouth Reconnected, Velux, Technip FMC and Together Levenmouth.
Chief executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris, said: “The Cycling Facilities Fund is helping transform Scotland’s cycling infrastructure by creating a network of accessible community facilities including the fantastic new Kennoway Pump Track.
“Our investment in projects such as this is also ensuring we harness the growing interest in cycling and to promote health and wellbeing, helping us taking a significant step towards our vision of an active Scotland where everyone sees sport as a way of life.
“Kennoway Pump Track is an example of genuine collaboration and has only been made possible thanks to the continued support of a range of partners including the Scottish Government, Scottish Cycling, Fife Council, the National Lottery and of course National Lottery players.”
All are welcome to enjoy the festivities at the new pump track from 11am to 5pm on July 16 and there will be free limited bike hire on the day.
However, visitors should note that parking in the area will also be limited so people are encouraged to walk or cycle if they can.
