The cycling track in the London 2012 Velodrome has been complete and two young people were lucky enough to check it out.
London 2012 velodrome praised by Olympic inspectors
22 Nov 2010
The cycling track in the Velodrome is complete!
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. The venue has also been being designed with seating all the way round the track to create the best possible crowd atmosphere during events.
A young leader from Crown Woods school in Greenwich and a student from Tower Hamlets was lucky enough to visit the Velodrome to see the progress of the building work and to check out the completed timber cycling track. They were joined by a whole host of important faces including Denis Oswald (IOC Coordination Commission Chairman), Seb Coe (Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), John Armitt (Olympic Delivery Authority Chairman), and two local riders who are looking forward to using the venue in legacy.
Seb Coe, Chair LOCOG said: ‘This will be a world-class track in 2012 producing world-class performances. I’m thrilled to be visiting the venue with two enthusiastic young people who are passionate about the Games and two local cyclists who are excited about using the Velodrome after the Games. We’ve always stated we wanted to use the power of the Games to inspire young people to choose sport and hopefully today’s visit will inspire them even more.’
The completion of the timber cycling track means that the Velodrome is on target to be the first Olympic Park venue to be completed early next year.
The 6,000-seat Velodrome will host the Olympic and Paralympic Track Cycling events in 2012. After the Games, the legacy Velodrome will be used by elite athletes and the local community and will include a café, bike hire and cycle workshop facilities.
Work to install the timber cycling track began in September and has now been completed. Work is also well advanced on the external timber cladding of the Velodrome using a striking Western Red Cedar, highlighting the sustainability and architectural excellence in the venue designs.
Renowned Velodrome track designer Ron Webb oversaw the design and installation of the 2012 Velodrome track which included:
- a team of 26 specialist carpenters installing the cycling track over a period of eight weeks;
- 356 timber trusses in place, supporting 56km of surface timber laid to form the track surface;
- more than 300,000 nails used to fix the track surface in place;
- sustainably-sourced Siberian pine 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; and the extreme Siberian climate also means the timber is very stable and will not shrink or contract in the environmental conditions of the Velodrome.
Watch a video blog showing the construction of the Velodrome track
