| Manchester Velodrome | |
|---|---|
| Location | Stuart Street Manchester England M11 4DQ |
| Opened | September 1994 |
| Owner | City of Manchester |
| Architect | Populous (formerly HOK Sport) |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Website | manchestervelodrome.com |
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor cycle-racing track or velodrome in Manchester, northwest England. It opened in September 1994 and is the leading indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom. It houses the National Cycling Centre and British Cycling. The Velodrome is situated next to the National Indoor BMX Arena, which opened in August 2011.
It hosted the track cycling in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and the UCI world championships in 1996, 2000 and 2008.
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The FaulknerBrowns Architects-designed velodrome has a reputation for speed. By 30 March 2008, more than 15 world records had been set there,[1] including Chris Boardman's 1996 and 2000 hour records and the 4000 metre team pursuit record set by the Great Britain men's team at the 2008 World Championships.
The track is 250 metres long. Its bankings reach 42 degrees in the middle. The track is as steep at the top as it is on the black (racing) line. On 21 May 2007 the velodrome closed to be re-surfaced. The old track was relaid with Siberian pine. It reopened on 16 July 2007, and is now considered smoother to ride.
The Revolution Series opened in 2003 to build on well-attended events such as the world championships and World Cup meetings and provide more regular events. There were four over the winter. They built good crowds. The seventh, in 2005, sold all the seats with further fans standing. The first official sell-out was Revolution 14.
The series runs on a Saturday night, with all sprint and endurance events. Internationals compete with British stars and up-and-coming talent. Some riders have retired at Revolution events, rewarded with a retirement presentation. A Future Stars competition has races for riders usually 15 or 16 to test their sprint and endurance. Olympic riders Jason Kenny and Steven Burke came up through this series.
Fans can ride the boards. Sessions every week run from beginners up to serious training. A taster session involves basic training and an hour riding the track.
On 2 July 2009 Kraftwerk performed at the velodrome as part of the 2009 Manchester International Festival. As they performed Tour de France, four members of the British Olympic cycling team entered and rode laps of the track.
An list of notable events which Manchester Velodrome has hosted:
| 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 |