I am in fairly regular email contact with the clubs appointment person at the Velodrome having enquired before. The problem is that club spots get booked up very quickly and any that we may get to nab would be at times not compatible with anyone that has to work during the day, weekends being rarer than 24 carat hen's teeth. As a club we would need to commit to
hiring the track for an hour and rent equipment. As an individual you have the option of almost turning up and taking your chance but for reasons already stated no more than 1 or 2 are likely to be lucky enough to get a go.
Can try again with seeing what is available in the next block of bookings, these tend to be announced 3 months ahead of time so we are not talking about turning up en mass next Wednesday evening
ETA: In the spoiler is a copy of the most recent email received from John Scripps, spoiler functionality used as it's rather a long email to post in full
Dear Representative,
Thank you once again for your enquiries about bookings at Lee Valley VeloPark (LVVP) for the Velodrome. This email is to inform you that club bookings for the track are now open for the period between October and December 2015. Please read this email carefully before you call or reply. I will not take bookings over the phone or in person.
The available club/school/group slots are as follows;
Mondays: 10am – 12pm and 1pm – 3pm.
Tuesdays: 10am – 12pm
Wednesdays: 6pm – 8pm and 8pm – 10pm.
Saturdays: 8am – 10am and 10am – 12pm.
Sundays: 6pm – 8pm.
Please note that due to major events and Great Britain Cycling Team Development sessions, these times are a generic timetable, and aren’t available every week.
Sub-Selling of Sessions
We have caught a number clubs sub selling spaces on their sessions to non-club members, and in some instances have been sold as professional coaching sessions by independent businesses, advertised on websites, public forums and social media. Please note, it is against the terms and conditions of the booking. The club bookings declaration attached highlights the definition of a club booking, and the criteria that clubs must adhere to in order to qualify for a club booking. Any clubs found in breach of these guidelines or sub-selling sessions will have their booking cancelled without a refund, and be unable to make future club bookings. If this continues to be an issue, we may be forced to withdraw club bookings altogether.
Coaches
For club bookings, it often takes some time and chasing to establish coaching requirements. So we can ensure that all sessions are adequately covered, we will book a coach and charge for you by default, unless you specify otherwise. This is to safeguard that the session has cover, and to give us plenty of time to find available coaches. If you are using an orientated club coach and do not require a LVVP coach, please let us know and we will remove it from the booking. If you need an additional coach, please let us know as soon as possible. All coaches must be registered with British Cycling hold the appropriate cycling qualification, current DBS (CRB) check and valid First Aid qualification.
Confirming booking
Due to the demand for sessions, I cannot hold individual one off bookings without an official hire agreement being made at time of confirmation. I have attached our hire agreement which outlines Lee Valley VeloPark terms and conditions.
If you would like to request a slot, please complete, sign and return the hire agreement with the relevant information, and if it is available, I will add you into the diary and arrange finance to send an invoice for the track hire.
We often get clubs asking for several slots in a series, or monthly slots. We will try and accommodate this where possible. Once you have made your request, I shall collate them and reply in the order I received them. Please do not worry if you have not received a reply straight away.
For insurance purposes, please also provide proof of your club national governing body affiliation, or appropriate public liability insurance specified in the hire agreement. Bookings will NOT be held until the club representative has supplied all the relevant information. This is to avoid a club holding a booking they may not use. Please note that I will also not take bookings over the phone.
Please do not forget that we are a 4 discipline venue. We have our Road Circuit, BMX track and MTB trails that can be hired by clubs for coaching sessions. BMX makes a particularly exciting new cycling experience for club riders who have never tried it before, and our coaches will take riders through all the basics.
Once again, I’d like to thank you all for your interest in using Lee Valley VeloPark, please take a look at the frequently asked questions below which will hopefully answer any queries, but please do get in touch if you have any questions. I look forward to welcoming you here soon.
Kind Regards,
John Scripps
FAQs
How much does track hire cost?
Club Track time rates are £110 per hour for track hire only, excluding coaches or equipment hire. Our BMX track costs £80 for 2 hours hire. The road circuit costs £250 for 2 hours for club hire.
How much is equipment hire?
Bike with helmet cost £10 each to hire, shoes are £6, gloves £3. Please make arrangements to pay for these on the day of your booking.
Rollers are also available to hire at a cost of £5 per set per individual, per session.
Can I use my own pedals on a hire bike?
No.
Can riders use their own bikes?
Yes. Please refer to the attached document to make sure their bike is of the correct specification. Coaches reserve the right to refuse to allow bikes on the track if they are deemed unsafe, and riders will be required to hire a bike, or not take part.
How many riders can we have on the session?
Please refer to the attached document that explains our coach – rider ratios, and group sizes.
What is the minimum age of riders for track sessions?
The minimum age for riders on LVVP hire bikes is 12, if a rider has track experience and their own track bike, riders of a minimum age of 10 can be accommodated.
How do I work out how many coaches I need?
Please see attached document on coach to rider ratios.
Can 1 coach work with 2 groups on rotation, with 1 group on the track and the other group resting?
No, you would need 2 coaches working with the club in this scenario. One way to allow the club to have 1 coach for the session to save on costs is to run the session as 2 separate hour long sessions, with 1 group of 16 in each. The other group must wait in the spectator arena in this scenario, and it isn’t the most efficient use of track time. Please note, we have worked closely with British Cycling on our coach to rider ratios, and our ratios are approved by them and a requirement of coaching insurance.
Can we include stages of the LVVP accreditation in our booking?
As of October 2015 we are not offering the facility for clubs to sign off any stages of the accreditation process within club sessions. Please look at our website for details on how to become accredited.
How do we get one of our coaches orientated to coach at the Velopark?
Please contact us well in advance so we can add this to the club booking. Orientating coaches costs £50 for the first hour of your booking, so a LVVP coach can talk coaches through our safety briefings, radio protocol, and track house rules. The LVVP will observe the early stages of the session, and once satisfied all is in order, will let the coach(es) continue alone. A maximum of 2 coaches can be orientated at one time.
Can we use a derny or start gate in the session?
Yes, provided the club use British Cycling Level 3 track qualified coaches to deliver the session, and dernys are ridden by British Cycling qualified pacers. This is a British Cycling requirement in their coaching guidelines. If hiring a derny, please supply proof of pacers qualifications. Lee Valley VeloPark also has start gates available to hire. Please enquire for rates. If you wish to hire a Lee Valley VeloPark coach, please let us know well in advance so we can ensure a Level 3 track coach is provided. If using start gates, the club will need to provide off bike volunteers to help with their use on the track in support of the coach(es).
John Scripps
Assistant Manager - Programme and Product Development
Lee Valley VeloPark
Tel: 0208 221 7784
Abercrombie Road
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
London E20 3AB
Mob: 07909 000 338
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