British Cycling Invests In London 1948 Track

The last remaining finals venue from the 1948 Olympic Games that is still in active use, the Herne Hill Velodrome, has been given new life following significant investment from British Cycling. ??

The track in South London had been in a state of disrepair for some time but a long-term agreement reached earlier this year between the landowners, The Dulwich Estate, and British Cycling resulted in £500,000 of investment to the venue.??

A state-of-the-art track has now been laid at the venue and it was officially reopened by Hugh Robertson, minister for Sport and the Olympics.??

Robertson said: ‘It is fitting that the year before London 2012 we are able to celebrate the refurbishment of the track at one of the key venues from the 1948 Games’.

?’As the popularity of cycling continues to grow, it is vital that people are provided with the facilities and opportunities to ride their bikes, be they young people starting out, serious racers, or others simply cycling to keep fit’.??

‘Thanks to the new track that has been laid, Herne Hill now takes its place as one of the country’s leading cycling facilities’.

??The track is where triple Olympic champion and London 2012 gold medal prospect Bradley Wiggins first started racing at the age of 12.??

Wiggins said: ‘I have such fond memories of Herne Hill which played an important role in my development as a rider.? I remember the buzz I got from racing there when I was younger and that really gave me the bug for the sport’.

??’It’s fantastic to see Herne Hill benefiting from this investment – it’s such an iconic facility not just for the local area but for the whole British cycling scene’.??

Work began on updating Herne Hill in July this year and has seen the track resurfaced with a special velodrome-specific covering called MasterTrack, which was developed in conjunction with Tarmac as well as a new outer Safety Fence and Safety Zone run-off area inside the track.