The track had been in a state of disrepair for some time but thanks to a long-term agreement reached earlier this year between the landowners, The Dulwich Estate, and British Cycling, the £500,000 ($797,950/€577,513) investment was made to bring the venue up-to-date.

A state-of-the-art track has now been laid at the historic venue and it was officially reopened by Hugh Robertson (pictured with flag), Minister for Sport and the Olympics.

"It is fitting that the year before London 2012 we are able to celebrate the refurbishment of the track at one of the key venues from the 1948 Games," said Robertson.

"As the popularity of cycling continues to grow, it is vital that people are provided with the facilities and opportunities to ride their bikes, be they young people starting out, serious racers, or others simply cycling to keep fit.

"Thanks to the new track that has been laid, Herne Hill now takes its place as one of the country's leading cycling facilities."


The project was funded by British Cycling through its Sport England investment and from a financial bequest left to British Cycling for use "in the pursuit of track cycling" by London resident and life-long supporter of the Herne Hill Velodrome, Leonard Lyes (pictured).

The venue is famous for being the home to the historic Good Friday Meeting - one of the most distinctive and atmospheric events in the cycling calendar - while it is also the track on which triple Olympic champion and London 2012 gold medal prospect Bradley Wiggins first started racing at the age of 12.

"I have such fond memories of Herne Hill which played an important role in my development as a rider," said Wiggins.

"I remember the buzz I got from racing there when I was younger and that really gave me the bug for the sport.

"It's fantastic to see Herne Hill benefiting from this investment - it's such an iconic facility not just for the local area but for the whole British cycling scene.

"I hope the new track means more young people head down to Herne Hill to learn the ropes, develop their skills and, who knows, start their journey towards Olympic success."

Work began on updating Herne Hill in July this year and has seen the track resurfaced with a special velodrome-specific covering called MasterTrack, which was developed in conjunction with Tarmac as well as a new outer Safety Fence and Safety Zone run-off area inside the track.

The project was planned and overseen by British Cycling's national facilities manager Dave Cockram, and facilities officer Patrick Flanagan.

"It's fantastic to be here today and see the first of what we hope will be a number of improvements resulting directly from the new agreement between British Cycling and The Dulwich Estate," said British Cycling President Brian Cookson.

"Getting a longer-term lease in place was essential in terms of our ability to invest in the new track and make best use of the generous donation from Leonard Lyes."

"I'm sure he'll be looking down today with a smile on his face - we know Herne Hill was close to his heart and this new track will mean it can continue to bring the joy and excitement of cycling to the whole community for many years to come."

Leading the ceremonial first lap at the track was Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman who was accompanied by riders from the local area.

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