Dennis Taye Allen of TT Game Plan, a digital journalism, and sports advocacy platform, has described the Skinner Park cycling track in San Fernando as a ‘death trap’.
A media practitioner for the past 30 years, Taye Allen’s comments came following the tragic death of his friend and cyclist Colin “Creepy” Wilson, 44, of Diego Martin at the venue during a six-lap masters 40-40 race on the opening night of the T&T Cycling Federation Easter Grand Prix together with the Caribbean Cycling Championships and the American Track Cycling Championships.
An emotional Allen, who is currently at the Carifta Track and Field Championship in St George’s, Grenada, in speaking to CNC3, highlighted what he described as concerns about the Skinner Park cycling track at the venue, which he said has been known to many officials and cyclists alike for years.
Among the major concerns of the venue since it was rebuilt three years ago was whether it was certified (homologation of the velodrome), and if not, then why was the venue still being used?
Just over $13 million was spent to upgrade Skinner Park, which was officially reopened on February 6, 2023.
After closure in 2019, works began on the multi-purpose venue. Boasting a new football field and cycling track, the facility can hold 6,000 patrons, while the covered pavilion consists of 3,000 seats, and the two uncovered pavilions hold 1,500 seats each.
Reflecting on Wilson, the 2015 National Criterium champion, Allen said, “Colin Wilson is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet in your life.” He had been riding for so long, twenty-something years. I know this guy, and you know he never saw a sour face, you know; he always had a smile and always had something positive to say.”
He said, “The last time I saw Colin would have been last week Saturday at the Madonna Wheelers meetup in Arima, and I came in a little late, so I was like, ‘Yo, what’s the scene, Colin?’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, boy, we’re coming to beat them up,’ and I just couldn’t stay long enough because of circumstances.”
Taye Allen further explained, “The track is not designed for you to come off your line. If you come off your line, the centrifugal force of a track that is designed that way pushes you back down. You turn like this, and you’re literally like this on the track. We saw what happened with Colin. The track is poorly designed for those kinds of speeds, and he wasn’t going fast. It was a short race; it was veterans, but imagine you’re riding, and his BPM would be 175 heart rate. You try to cut a hose and try to put it back. That is what those EMS people had to face; it is brutal; it is gory.”
He said, “We have to talk about it. This is not a time for silence; this is a time for rebellion because they all knew, promoters and the federation venue owners. They all were told. I’m on my chats right now; four or five cyclists are telling me, ‘But we talked about that last week.’ I was talking to a young cyclist; she was at the event they had down there, and I said, ‘You’re all brave girls.’ She was like, ‘What do you think?’ and I said, ‘That’s a real unsafe venue,’ and she said, ‘You know, I felt that way.’ Right? I said, ‘Okay,’ and I explained to her the exact same scenario that we saw on Friday evening, and I was heartbroken.”
An upset Allen added that he doesn’t think anyone will be held accountable for what happened, saying, “There’s somebody, you know, there’s somebody whose family, you know, tragedy is not even a word; nobody will lose their job, nobody will resign their post, and nobody will care after this is done.”
Wilson leaves to mourn his wife Tricia and their three children.
