London Velopark - BMX Track

BMX Track

The outdoor BMX racing track will also have a spectator capacity of 6,000. Work began on its construction in March 2011. After the games the seating will be removed and the track will be reconfigured to accommodate all abilities. The first competition on the venue was the test event for the Olympic Games, a round of the 2011 UCI Supercross BMX World Cup series. The track for men is 470 metres long and features a berm jump, an S-bend transfer, a box jump and a rhythm section in the final straight. The women's course is 430 metres long featuring three jumps in the opening straight and a tunnel before like the men's including a rhythm section in the final straight. It has been called one of the most challenging BMX tracks to date. The track also features an 8-metre high starting ramp and was designed by the UCI with the aim of pushing the boundaries of the sport. 14,000 cubic metres of soil was used to build the track. After the Supercross world cup event, Shanaze Reade called for changes to the track. She stated that the track was on the limit if the wind changed. Sarah Walker echoed Reade's calls stating that the track could get ugly on a windy day.

In preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics, in 2010 the Dutch National Olympic Committee commissioned a replica of the planned BMX track at their National Sports Centre Papendal. It came into use in March 2011, ahead of the hand over of the London Velopark BMX venue.