Herne Hill Velodrome

One of the oldest cycling tracks in the world, the Herne Hill Velodrome was built way back in 1891 and still hosts regular training for local riders. In fact, between 1987, when the track at Paddington Recreational Ground was demolished, and 2011, when the new London 2012 Velodrome was opened in the Olympic Park in Stratford, Herne Hill was the only cycling track in London. British Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France star, Bradley Wiggins, started racing at Herne Hill when he was 12 and has supported a recent campaign to raise money needed for refurbishment. Unlike a modern Olympic velodrome, Herne Hill has a larger circumference (450m long) and a shallower banking (30 degrees at steepest part). Herne Hill hosted the track cycling events in the 1948 Summer Olympics and was the home of Crystal Palace FC during the First World War. For more information on the Herne Hill Velodrome and for details of the various training programmes available for cyclists of all ages and levels, please visit www.hernehillvelodrome.com.