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| Cyclist test out the new Velodrome |
Spyns started as a small company offering luxury cycling tours for the Tour de France. As time has passed and happy clients have returned, the company has expanded but still kept that small friendly family feel. Now that we offer Olympic tours we will have a few cycling clients coming with us to London and checking out the new built velodrome, and the 250km Men and 140km Road Race. We will have VIP refreshment tents set up along the route for our clients only. If you would like to join us for a glass of champagne as the leader passes, check out our website and chat to Ryan about our 4, 5, 7, and 10-day luxury tour options. www.london-olympiad.com
The first cyclists to test the £100million Olympic velodrome have declared it the fastest track ever.
A dozen club riders battled it out at speeds of up to 75kmh in the Olympic Park as the 250-metre circuit was put to the test.
The Standard gained exclusive access as inspectors from the international cycling federation scrutinised the superfast track.
The velodrome builders, British firm ISG, were on tenterhooks until both the riders and technical experts gave their emphatic approval.
As part of the simulation, a public address system played classical music and racers competed under the full Olympic lighting, enhanced to pick out the action in fine detail for high definition television.
Certification was the final hurdle before the velodrome becomes the first Olympic Park venue to be opened next month.
Emily Kay, 15, who was among the riders from the Halesowen Cycling Club chosen to test the track, described the experience as "awesome".
She added: "We just kept going faster and you could hardly get me off it. We often compete at the Manchester velodrome (built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games) but this seems even faster."
The London track has been designed by the world's foremost velodrome builder, Australian Ron Webb.
Mr Webb beamed with pride as he watched the test and then declared that he was retiring after completing this, his 53rd velodrome. The former professional cyclist also created the Olympic circuits for Seoul, Athens and Sydney.
He said: "We had an advantage because this building is bigger than most velodromes. It was just a matter of making a few tweaks to make it even faster. Records will be broken in 2012 but that will have more to do with the fitness of the athletes and the occasion than my track."
Some of the world's best riders will compete in London in a World Cup event next February which Team GB bosses hope will be a prelude to a bumper medal haul for Britain at the Games. Star names will include Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Bradley Wiggins.
A team of 26 carpenters used 56 kilometres of surface timber fixed into place with more than 300,000 nails to build the track in eight weeks.
The track is made of Siberian pine because the trees are known for being straight and tall, making them suitable for the lengths of timber required to shape the track.
The Olympic cycling complex comprises the indoor track and 6,000 seats surrounded by a 360-degree public concourse. In legacy mode there will be a café, changing rooms, cycle workshop and storage for more than 300 bikes. There will also be a bike hire outlet for families to use the new cycling facilities, and the venue will be linked to cycle routes across London.
Olympic Delivery Authority project manager Richard Arnold said: "It was great to see cyclists in the velodrome for the first time.
"Achieving the cycling federation's sign-off for the delivery of the track is an important milestone and gives everyone on site a huge boost as we approach the final stages of construction."
Tickets for the velodrome, which go on sale in March, range from £20 for the heats to £325 for the finals.
• The steel tower in the Olympic Park will earn £10 million a year as a tourist attraction, it was claimed today.
Games legacy chiefs made the bold prediction as they began the search for a company to run the 114-metre tower, which will cost £22 million and is officially-named the ArcelorMittal Orbit. Firms have three weeks to bid for the 10-year contract.
Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720. www.spyns.com.
