Manchester Velodrome | |
 Panorama image of the Manchester Velodrome | |
| Location | Stuart Street Manchester England M11 4DQ |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°29′10″N 2°11′31″W / 53.486°N 2.192°W |
| Owner | City of Manchester |
| Operator | British Cycling |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Field size | 250 metre track |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 14 September 1994[3] |
| Architect | FaulknerBrowns Architects |
| Services engineer | R.V. Webb (Velodrome track)[1][2] |
| Tenants | |
| Ineos Grenadiers (UCI ProTeam) Manchester Wheelers' Club[4] Major events hosted 2002 Commonwealth Games UCI Track Cycling World Championships (1996, 2000, 2008) British National Track Championships Revolution Cycling series | |
| Website | |
| manchestervelodrome | |
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor Olympic-standard cycle-racing track in Manchester, England, which opened in 1994. Part of the National Cycling Centre, the facility has been home to British Cycling since 1994, coinciding with the nation's rise to track cycling dominance at World and Olympic level. The velodrome was also home to UCI ProTeam Ineos Grenadiers, formerly known as Team Sky between 2010 and 2019, a period when the team won 6 Tour de France, 2 Vuelta a España and 1 Giro d'Italia with Great Britain riders.[5]
The Manchester Velodrome has been cited as the major catalyst for Britain's successes in track and road cycling and has been described by Cycling Weekly as the "beating heart of British Cycling’s ascension to the top of world cycling".[6][7][8]
For 18 years from opening, it was the only indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom before the completion of the Lee Valley VeloPark for the 2012 Summer Olympics. It is one of the busiest velodromes in the world used by both professional cyclists and members of the public from 8am to 10pm.[9][10][11]
The venue hosted track cycling for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and forms part of the Sportcity complex, located adjacent to the City of Manchester Stadium, host stadium for the 2002 Games and home of Manchester City F.C. It has also hosted the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 1996, 2000 and 2008, hosts regular meets of the Revolution track cycling series and now hosts Six-day racing. The National Indoor BMX Arena adjacent opened in 2011 and the Velodrome can be accessed from the Metrolink Velopark tram stop on the East Manchester Line.
- ^ "Manchester Velodrome - About us". Manchester Velodrome. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ "Velodrome tracks by R.V. Webb". R.V. Webb Ltd. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ ""BCF to run velodrome." Times, 13 July 1994, p. 38". Times Digital Archives.
- ^ "Manchester Wheelers' Club - Track". Manchester Wheelers' Club. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ^ The Tour de France in 2012 (Bradley Wiggins), 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 (Chris Foome) and 2018(Geraint Thomas), the Vuelta a España in 2011 and 2017 (Froome) and the Giro in 2018 (Froome). Colombina Egan Bernal also won the Tour de France while riding for the team in 2019. Subsequent Giro wins for Bernal and British rideer Tao Geoghagan Hart were achieved after the team departed the facility.
- ^ Andrews, Guy (1 April 2008). "How did Britain get so good at cycling?". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
As well as bringing in the finest equipment and the best coaches available, British Cycling based everything on one oval track in Manchester, built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
- ^ "British pedal power or Queally over-rated?". BBC News. 20 September 2000.
- ^ "Cycling Weekly - Manchester Velodrome". Cycling Weekly. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
Twenty years later it is the beating heart of British Cycling's ascension to the top of world cycling and the self-styled 'busiest track in the world'. Multiple world and Olympic champions, a Tour de France winner and world renowned coaching and talent spotting setup can all be traced back to this venue.
- ^ Ottewell, David (8 August 2012). "Fast track to glory: How Manchester Velodrome forged Britain's Olympic gold rush". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
The council-owned Velodrome, built with £6.5m of government money and £3m from the Sports Council and Foundation for Sport and the Arts, was Britain's only Olympic-standard indoor track when it opened 18 years ago.
- ^ "Officials argue for Velodrome". Scotsman. 30 April 2005. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
"Manchester is the busiest velodrome in the world," continued King. "It's booked solidly from 8am in the morning until 10pm at night, and its effect on the North West of England has been that there are more cycling clubs, more events and, crucially, more participants than in any other region of England.
- ^ "Top cyclist's fears over 'white elephant' track". Scotsman. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
Manchester is built in the deprived Eastlands area. The track is always full to capacity, used by many local schools and the kids' club has a waiting list.