Velo good – Olympic track completed

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So it has been announced that the London 2012 velodrome will become the first venue to be completed in the Olympic Park early next year in readiness for the 2012 Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee visited yesterday to inspect work done at the venue including the now completed velodrome track itself.

After the Olympic Games, a road cycle circuit and mountain bike course will be added to the velodrome and BMX Circuit to create the Lee Valley VeloPark, combining cycling facilities across all disciplines in one cycling ‘hub’.

Legacy plans for the venue also include a café, bike hire and cycle workshop facilities while more importantly the venue will be linked into cycle routes across London, linking the new venue with the whole of the capital.

So what of the velodrome itself, here are some facts relating to the track

1. Renowned velodrome track designer Ron Webb oversaw the design and installation of the 2012 velodrome track. Mr Webb designed the Sydney and Athens Games velodrome tracks, as well the Manchester velodrome track in the UK
2. 356 timber trusses are in place, supporting 56km of surface timber laid to form the track surface
3. Sustainably-sourced Siberian pine was used for the track, specially selected because the trees are known for being straight and tall making them suitable for the lengths of timber required to shape the track
4. London 2012 is aiming to create the world’s fastest cycling track by tailoring the track geometry and setting the temperature and environmental conditions within the venue to create record-breaking conditions.
5. A team of 26 specialist carpenters installing the cycling track over a period of eight weeks. More than 300,000 nails used to fix the track surface in place.

Here at Going Going Bike, we can’t wait to use some of the facilities post 2012.

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