Olympic velopark

[toontra]

Went to the velopark in east London for the first time yesterday and spent an hour doing circuits of the road track.  Great fun riding on a perfect surface with no vehicles - it really encourages you to push hard so great training.  £4 for as long as you like.  There are showers, lockers, etc and you can pop into the velodrome after for a cup of very nice reasonably priced coffee and watch folks on the track.

An actual tangible bit of Olympic legacy!

[Phil W]

How long is a circuit of the road track?

[toontra]

1 mile exactly.  I think the old Eastway circuit was i mile also.

Being so short it's only ever going to be suitable for training and racing really.  There are even shorter loops used for teaching children.

This will give you an idea of what it's like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg4O6-xX8eE

[Andrij]

Hmm... I think I should find my helmet and pop over to Stratford to have a go.

[toontra]

Ah yes - you do need a helmet.  I didn't have one but a friendly chap in the hire shop let me borrow one FOC.

[telstarbox]

If you're ever over there after the track has shut for the night, the perimeter fence is only as high as your handlebars (ditto the BMX track)

[Mr Larrington]

Now you've reminded me of the tale told to me by a grate frend, whose identity I shall cloak in tactful anonymity, wherein he and some chums managed to get an old-stylee Fiat 500 onto the Eastway circuit in the middle of the night.  And, perhaps more importantly, got it out again in one piece.

[telstarbox]

Did they put it on someone's pannier rack?