About the project: The culture of cycling is increasingly growing as a way of sports and leisure in Armenia. While in Yerevan there are some cycling paths or clubs in existence, the rest of the country, possessing a huge potential for the development of extreme cycling, is slightly neglected. The mountainous landscape and wide open spaces present a good opportunity to develop cycling as a sports type, particularly mountain biking and extreme cycling, and an opportunity to engage youth and adolescents and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

Until now there has not been a single venue for the development of cycling sports in the Shirak region. Formed in December 2012, the “Gyumri is our home” civic initiative, which gathers young people from Gyumri, plans to construct an extreme cycling racetrack (velodrome) to stimulate the athletic and leisure life in the region. The velodrome is a wide arena featuring steeply banked oval tracks for lovers of extreme cycling.The platform will be designed not only for beginner cyclists, children and professionals but also adapted to persons with disabilities. Training and coaching will be available for all interested parties. A club or an NGO will be established to ensure the maintenance and the proper operation of the velodrome.

The expected results of the project include:

• Local children, youth and adolescents engaged in healthy sports as a form of leisure.
• Volunteerism promoted among youth and adolescents.
• An open space created for the leisure and activism for children, youth and adolescents.Tourism opportunities are diversified in the region contributing to growth and development.