York University unveils £1m velodrome plan

York University unveils £1m velodrome plan

Hopes to open the facility in 2014

Published: October 4, 2013 at 12:00 pm

York, Tour de France 2014 stage start city, has hot plans to build a £1m outdoor velodrome in partnership with British Cycling.

The Olympic-distance 250m track would be built at the University of York's York Sport Village on the south-east outskirts of the city, which has a strong commuter cycling culture.

York's Roubaix-style velodrome would complement a cycle circuit at the sports village. The university is currently investigating funding options with British Cycling.

It is hoped the outdoor track would be ready for use to the public before the end of 2014, in the same year the city hosts the start of the Tour de France stage 2.

John Mills, British Cycling's coaching, education and development manager recently told BikeRadar the federation had a £7m government allocation to develop cycling facilities over the next four years.

"When you match that with local authority and partnership funding we anticipate that we can build 33 new cycle sport facilities," said Mills.