National Cycling Centre, Manchester

Much of the success in recent years for British cycling at the Olympics and Tour de France can be put down to the National Cycling Centre in Manchester. Riders such as Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Bradley Wiggins have made their base here.

History

The National Cycling Centre opened in 1994 and has a world-class board track as well as a more recent indoor BMX track and outdoor mountain bike trails that run through the green space in Clayton Vale.

Velodrome

The Manchester Velodrome as it was then called, was built for the World Track Cycling Championships in 1996. The velodrome was a central part of Manchester’s unsuccessful bids to host the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000.

Now in 2020, the building will need substantial investment to address its “structural, mechanical, and electrical failures in parts of the building” according to a report by a group of architects.

Kids Cycling Course

The track is available for use by riders of all abilities. Regular courses are held for novices to learn how to access the track safely and to ride safely with other solo riders. These novice starter courses feed into accreditation courses for the over 15’s who want to get more involved in the sport.

Home of British Cycling

The velodrome hosts regular competitions including next month’s World Masters Track Cycling Championships 2016 from October 1-8.

The National Cycling Center also has courses in basic bicycle maintenance and has facilities for other sports such as futsal, badminton, netball, handball, and basketball.

The Velopark Cafe on site serves tasty refreshments after a hard day’s cycling. It is also possible to book a weekday tour with the possibility of seeing Team GB training. The tour takes in the facilities at the National Cycling Centre and the British Cycling Hall of Fame, the Reg Harris statue and the Beryl Burton display.

Velopark Cafe

Access – Getting There

National Cycling Centre (nationalcyclingcentre.com)
Stuart Street
Manchester
M11 4DQ
Tel: 0161 223 2244

From Piccadilly Gardens take bus number 216 to Sportcity (10 minutes). By Metrolink to Velopark Station. The National Cycling Centre is a short walk from Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre.

Reception

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