In 1891, an extraordinary velodrome was built, it hosted the track cycling events in the 1948 summer Olympics and was, for a while, home to the crystal palace football club during WW1. 

 

I have been cycling here since I was 10 and I absolutely love it. I’ve become so used to attending training sessions there all year round 4-5 times a week that I forget that a lot of people have no idea what a velodrome is and that many of them live right beside it but never knew it was there! 

 

I talked to my friends who live locally about Herne Hill velodrome and the majority of the responses were “wait...what’s a velodrome?” and I've realized that I've been really lucky to have known about Herne Hill Velodrome and train like crazy.

 

The first time, when I was 10 years old I went along with my dad thinking we were just going to have a look at all the cyclists on the track. Little did I know that he wanted me to try getting involved in one of the sessions. I was terrified; it was my first time going there and there were loads of other kids who had already been doing it for years and on top of all that, track bikes have a fixed gear which means you can’t just stop when you want, you have to gradually slow down and grab whatever or whoever you can so you don't fall off. 

 

Looking back I am so glad I pushed through the initial fear. Going to Herne Hill velodrome has opened amazing opportunities and now I see it as a second home, I come back from school, do my homework and then go to Herne hill. 

 

They have so many different sessions, each one tends to a different technique or skill you need when competing. There are sessions for young children, older children, teens, and adults but this really depends on your ability and what you are comfortable with. 

 

Track cycling is an amazing sport which I would seriously encourage everyone to try out, even if you are terrified just like I was my first time because being totally honest, track cycling has been beneficial for me in so many ways. When I began I shied away from trying new things and now I come to each session expecting to try things I've never tried before, meeting new people that have joined, and participating in track cycling comes with an amazing feeling; being part of a team that, even though you will be competing against them a lot of the time, you know that they care about you and value you. There really is a sense of belonging and acceptance competing and training at Herne hill