Back on track: Velodrome racetrack refurbished

The good 70-years-old oval concrete racetrack of the tradition-steeped and heritage-listed Leipzig velodrome was found to be in urgent need of refurbishment. Proven MC product systems for concrete repair and surface protection were chosen for the rehabilitation work, together with MC-DUR TopSpeed, a high-end system for fast floor coating.

With a length of 400 metres, the semi-open Leipzig velodrome is the longest of its kind in Germany. Its concrete racetrack is 7.50 metres wide and has a curve elevation of 26 degrees. At over seventy years old, the concrete track surface had suffered considerable damage, leading to funds of 1.2 million euros being earmarked for a thorough revamp.

 

The work began in March 2021. The architect was Anuschah Behzadi of Leipzig, an enthusiastic cyclist and also vice-president of the Leipzig cycling club ACL – hardly surprising, then, that he took this project very much to his heart. The contractor commissioned to carry out the work was KST Kunststoff Technik GmbH & Co. KG of neighbouring Zwenkau, a company that four years before had put its expertise on show with the successful refurbishment of the Chemnitz velodrome using MC’s products.

 

Refurbishment in short time and regardless of the weather

The job specifications were demanding indeed: In addition to a short timeframe, it was also necessary to ensure that the work could be carried out regardless of the weather, as the area to be renovated is only partially roofed. After the concrete repair, it had to be possible to quickly cover the area with a coating that was fully resistant to both fluctuating temperatures and rising damp from the concrete substrate. As there is no standard for the construction and repair of cycling racetracks in terms of their slip resistance and evenness requirements, the only reference available was the refurb project so expertly executed in neighbouring Chemnitz. Hence the current undertaking once again called for implementation of the complete range of MC’s products for repair and protection.

The all-encompassing rehabilitation portfolio from MC-Bauchemie

The cracks on the track surface were first grouted with MC-Injekt 2133 flex and then patched with MC-DUR 1291 flex. The concrete repairs proper were carried out with the fibre-reinforced PCC concrete replacement Nafufill KM 250 and the repair and restoration shotcrete Nafufill SC 08. Products from the MC-Floor TopSpeed range were selected for the subsequent coating. The special resin system makes it possible to build up floors both indoors and out within a few hours across an extended temperature range of 2 to 35° C – and even under adverse conditions such as high humidity and the presence of moisture in the substrate. All MC’s system components are based on KineticBoost-Technology®. This harnesses humidity and ambient moisture to accelerate the curing process, with adhesion, abrasion resistance and the scratch resistance of the coating all being additionally enhanced. Finally, the joints were sealed with Mycoflex 251 and Mycoflex 488 MS.

 

The concrete repair work on the velodrome’s balustrade and barriers was also performed with the products of the Nafufill family, with Mycoflex 251 and Mycoflex 488 MS again being used as the joint sealers. Surface protection in the wall areas was provided by the pigmented high-performance coating MC-Color Flair pure in white, which, in addition to excellent conservation properties, is further characterised by exceptional  colour stability, economic yield factors and low dirt absorption.

 

The client and architect appreciated not only the security of knowing that the product systems had already proven successful in the rehabilitation of a previous velodrome, but also the ready single-source availability of all the materials needed for the project.

 

On-schedule completion with MC’s concrete repair, injection, surface protection and flooring systems

With the MC-DUR TopSpeed high-performance coating system to hand, it was even possible to carry out the coating work under poor weather conditions. MC's product systems ensured rapid construction progress between March and May 2021, with timely, on-schedule completion duly achieved. The final finishes were then applied in June. The city of Leipzig and the city and district cycling association signed a lease agreement securing the use of the completely rehabilitated track for the longer term, and cycle racing duly returned to the superbly refurbed velodrome in July.