Preston Park velodrome reopened

Preston Park cycle track reopened on Sunday 8 May after work to restore it had been completed.

The track was officially opened by Pete Mitchell, who is a member of the Great Britain Cycling Team and a world champion para-cycling tandem pilot.

This was then followed by the National Youth Omnium where 94 riders aged between 9 and 15 from across the south east of England took part in a series of races, made up of of a time trial, three endurance races and a sprint.

The velodrome, which opened in 1887 and is the oldest in the country, was closed to competitive cycling at the end of 2014, after concerns were raised over safety of the track perimeter fence.

 The funding package for the necessary work to be carried out was agreed between British Cycling and Brighton & Hove City Council, and it was announced in January 2016 that the work would take place.

Both organisations worked together in order to progress repair work as quickly as possible to meet the needs of the local cyclists.

The total cost of the works was £148,000, most of which was funded by a grant award from British Cycling, with the remaining £38,000 coming from section 106 funding contributions from planning applications. The work included replacing the perimeter fencing and gates as well as improvements to the site to bring it up to modern standards.

For more information on the Preston Park velodrome go here