The gradual return of sport in the region has been given a shot in the arm with the reopening of Dubbo's high level cycling track.
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The facility was only opened earlier this year shortly before the COVID-19 crisis caused the Dubbo Cycle Club to adopt social distancing measures.
While the track has been closed cyclists have still been training and competing virtually at home, but now the cycle club has the opportunity to begin anew after the gates were reopened on World Bicycle Day.
Club president Matthew Gilbert called the occasion an 'auspicious' day.
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"We're going to get started with our training and get back to cycling in Dubbo soon," Gilbert said.
"It's a great, sustainable development goal for a place like Dubbo to have facilities like these."
According to Gilbert, the club has seen a large spike in interest in cycling due to the fact that it's an activity that's largely been unimpeded by the restrictions.
"We've seen an excessive uptake in parents and families getting into cycling and getting out there together on two wheels," Gilbert said.
"We've got the facility now, we've got a criterium circuit and the velodrome, we've got some really great road courses around Dubbo and the council's been very cooperative and we want to use that to bring big events here."
Despite the eagerness, the track will still need to observe strict social distancing rules and restrictions on the amount of people present at the track at one time.
Dubbo Regional Council Mayor Ben Shields said it was 'very important' that the facility be reopened.
"We're really blessed to have this facility, it's one of the best of it's kind in NSW and I want the people to be able to come out and see it," Shields said.
"This club has been named the best club in Australia and now we have one of the best facilities in regional Australia right here in Dubbo, it's very important that members of the public can enjoy it as well."
Shields said that it was important to keep the sport growing and expanding and that Dubbo could now be a focus for competitive and recreational cycling across the country, but also noted that other projects like the renovation of Victoria Park would also need to be used in the future, calling Dubbo an 'events centre' for all manner of sporting competitions.
"We have a club in place that is so enthusiastic about their sport and are so eager for new members," Shields said.
"Sporting is very much part of Dubbo's future, we're adding to our sporting facilities all the time and we're doing really well with this, we're punching well above our weight at the moment in that area."