Olympic Velodrome reopens for BMX and mountain biking - and costs as little as £4

 
Venue: the women's final of BMX cycling at the London 2012 Olympics
Miranda Bryant12 March 2014

The Olympic Velodrome and BMX track reopened today as part of a new cycle centre which includes track, mountain bike, road and BMX facilities. It is the first to offer all four disciplines in one place with prices starting from £4.

Launching for official events before opening to the public on March 31, Lee Valley VeloPark will hold activities for riders of all abilities from grassroots to elite and has already taken hundreds of bookings.

It also plans to host an average of 75 sessions for schools and 135 for clubs per month at special prices with targeted schemes for women, over-50s and toddlers as well as talent spotting initiatives and cycling proficiency programme Bikeability.

Race: Chris Hoy wins the men's keirin final in 2012 (Picture: PA)

The first event to take place on the 42-degree banking of the 250-metre indoor track will feature the return of Team GB stars such as Laura Trott and Jason Kenny on Friday for the two-day Revolution event. The following weekend, the VeloPark will be hosting the Sport Relief Cycle, backed by the Standard’s Dispossessed Fund.

The Standard was among the first to use the 6,000-capacity Velodrome and the BMX track. The preview included how to clip in and out of the pedals, starting and stopping, operating a fixed-gear bicycle, safety and practising cycling on the track.

Comparing it to the “black run of cycling”, head trainer Rob Mortlock said that although competent cyclists should find riding in the Velodrome straight forward, it is not for beginners.

World class: the velodrome (Picture: Alex Lentati)

Cyclists can attend coached sessions without qualifications but to take part in the track league and more advanced training sessions they need to pass a four-stage accreditation system.

Mr Mortlock said: “I wouldn’t say anyone can do it, you definitely have to know how to ride a bike.”

On the BMX track, a preview taster session covered how to “pump” over some of the course’s 29 bumps. The BMX course has been remodelled since the Games with alterations such as a smaller starting ramp — reduced from eight metres high to 3.8 metres — so that it is safer for the general public.

Test drive: our reporter Miranda Bryant on a BMX in Stratford (Picture: Alex Lentati)

Read More

Other facilities include mountain bike trails set at three different difficulty levels and the one-mile floodlit road track through Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Double Olympic champion Trott, 21, who is an ambassador for the venue along with Paralympic champion Mark Colbourne, said: “It’s great to see Lee Valley VeloPark open and I’m so proud to be a part of this inspirational venue as an ambassador.”

Biker: Miranda at the Olympic Park (Picture: Alex Lentati)

Shaun Dawson, chief executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which owns and runs Lee Valley VeloPark, said: “By blending wide public access with great events which will bring the world’s best cyclists to this exceptional venue, it will help inspire a new generation of cycling enthusiasts.” The VeloPark is one of four former Olympic venues to reopen after Lee Valley White Water Centre, the Copper Box Arena and the Aquatics Centre.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in