Olympic ‘Pringle’ Velodrome to be first venue ready in 2012 park
The "Pringle" — a £95million velodrome with the world's fastest cycling track — is set to become the first major 2012 Olympic sports venue to be completed.
Work on the double-curved aluminium roof was finished last week.
The arena is expected to be a medal factory for Britain with Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Londoner Bradley Wiggins out to take the team's haul beyond the 12 gained in Beijing.
The Standard was given an exclusive tour of the four-tiered venue, being built by ISG. Games chiefs have made improvements on previous Olympic cycling arenas after consulting triple gold medallist Hoy, including having spectators all round the 250-metre track — not just along the straight — to create a more stimulating atmosphere.
Pine for the track was cut in Siberia and is being shaped in a German mill before being laid in September under the guidance of the pre-eminent designer Ron Webb, who has created the racing surfaces for most of the world's top velodromes.
The track will be at a 45 degree angle on the bends, flattening to 12 degrees on the straights with the finish line in the north-west corner. Track level climate will be held at 29C using vents in the roof to enable fastest times.
The builders will hand over the keys in January. Olympic Development Authority velodrome project manager Richard Arnold said: "We need to give the spectators the best possible views of the track which will be the centrepiece of the building. We also wanted to make it sustainable and lightweight and a double-curved roof is the best way of doing that.
"After the Games it will be a unique facility for cycling."
The Velodrome will reopen in May 2013
