Manchester Velodrome facts for kids
 |
|
| Location | Manchester, England |
|---|---|
| Owner | City of Manchester |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1994 |
| Architect | Populous (formerly HOK Sport) |
The Manchester Velodrome is a special indoor track for bicycle racing. It's located in Manchester, a city in the north west of England. This amazing track opened in September 1994.
It is the best indoor track in the United Kingdom for Olympic-level cycling. Today, it's home to the National Cycling Centre. It's also where British Cycling, the main group for cycling in the UK, has its main office. The best part is, it's open for everyone to use!
This velodrome has hosted many big events. These include track cycling for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. It also hosted the UCI world championships in 1996, 2000, and 2008.
The track is known for being very fast. By March 30, 2008, more than 15 world records had been broken there. Famous records include Chris Boardman's hour records in 1996 and 2000. The Great Britain men's team also set a new 4000-metre team pursuit record there in 2008.
The track is 250 metres long. Its banking (the sloped turns) reach 42 degrees in the middle. The track is just as steep at the top as it is on the black racing line. On May 21, 2007, the velodrome closed for a short time. Workers replaced the old track surface with new Siberian pine wood. It reopened on July 16, 2007, and riders say it feels much smoother now.
Contents
Revolution Series Cycling Events
The Revolution Series started in 2003. Its main goal was to make track cycling more popular. Organizers wanted to build on the success of big events like the World Championships. They also wanted to offer more regular races for fans to watch.
The series began with four events during the winter. Soon, it started attracting large crowds. The first time almost all seats were sold was at the seventh meeting in 2005. Many fans even stood to watch! The first official sell-out happened at Revolution 14. Now, selling out is a regular thing for these events.
Future Stars Competition
Along with the main senior races, there's a "Future Stars" competition. This takes place at every Revolution event. Young riders, usually 15 or 16 years old, take part. They compete in different races each night. This helps them test both their sprint speed and their endurance skills.
Major Events Hosted at the Velodrome
The Manchester Velodrome has hosted many important cycling events. Here is a list of some of them:
- 1996 UCI world championships
- 2000 UCI world championships
- 2002 Commonwealth Games (only the track cycling races)
- 2003/2004 Revolution Series 1
- 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics Round 3
- 2004-2005 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics Round 3
- 2004/2005 Revolution Series 2
- 2005-2006 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics Round 2
- 2005/2006 Revolution Series 3
- 2006/2007 Revolution Series 4
- 2006–2007 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics Round 4
- 2007/2008 Revolution Series 5
- 2008–2009 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics Round 1
- 2008 UCI world championships
- 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics Round 1
Cycling for Everyone
The velodrome is not just for professional cyclists. Regular people who love cycling can also ride on its famous wooden track! There are special sessions held every week. These range from "taster sessions" for beginners to serious training. A taster session includes some basic training. Then, you get to ride the track for an hour.
Other Fun Events
On July 2, 2009, the famous music group Kraftwerk performed at the Manchester Velodrome. This was part of the 2009 Manchester International Festival. During their song "Tour de France," four members of the British Olympic Cycling Team rode bikes around the track!
| Preceded by Velódromo Luis Carlos Galán Bogotá |
UCI Track Cycling World Championships Venue 1996 |
Succeeded by Perth SpeedDome Perth |
| Preceded by Berlin Velodrome Berlin |
UCI Track Cycling World Championships Venue 2000 |
Succeeded by Antwerps Sportpaleis Antwerp |
| Preceded by Palma Arena Palma de Mallorca |
UCI Track Cycling World Championships Venue 2008 |
Succeeded by BGŻ Arena Pruszków |
Images for kids
-
The outside of the Manchester Velodrome from Stuart Street.
-
A view of the Velodrome from the inside.
-
Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish winning the 2008 world Madison championship.
See also
In Spanish: Velódromo de Mánchester para niños
