The pump track phenomenon has arrived in Lithgow.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole officially opened the newest addition to the city’s recreational facilities on Saturday.
A NSW Government grant of $522,000 and a $50,000 contribution from Lithgow City Council allowed the pump track to become a reality, located right next to the Adventure Playground at Endeavour Park.
A pump track is a circuit of rollers, banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders "pumping" or generating momentum by up and down body movements, instead of pedalling.
Mr Toole said pump tracks are a worldwide phenomenon, although only recently arriving in Australia.
“Best of all, pump tracks can be ridden by cyclists of all ages and skill levels. You don’t need a special kind of bike to ride. Kids, teenagers, and even middle aged dads have been riding it since being recently completed,” he said.
“Pump tracks are a gateway to developing a lifelong interest in cycling and other sports with the flow on health and social benefits this provides. They are also exceptionally good training grounds for BMX riders.”
According to Matthew Johnson, Lithgow City Council’s Community and Culture Manager, the idea for the Lithgow Pump Track came out of consultation with young people a few years back in development of the Lithgow Youth Strategy and more recent consultation with high school students just before Council submitted for funding.
“The pump track, and the adjacent adventure playground are very good examples of the NSW Government’s support for council’s commitment to proving contemporary, interesting and engaging facilities for the community,” he said.
“This is a fantastic free facility, possibly the only pump track west of the Great Dividing Range and according to its builders, the biggest, best and most challenging course they have built to date.”
Features of the opening event included rider demonstrations and giveaways by Renshaw’s Bikes of Lithgow; DJ Music by Jum Wubble; and a sausage sizzle put on by Lithgow Headspace.