This summer, Wales National Velodrome played host to TeamGB’s medal-winning track cyclists as they prepared for London 2012.
Junior cyclists training at the Velodrome in Newport
The £7m facility, in Newport, was the training centre for athletes including Sir Chris Hoy and Mark Colbourne and alt.cardiff hit the track to discover how a new generation of cyclists was inspired.
Michael Heaven, Welsh Cycling assistant coach, told us that the Olympic and Paralympic training sessions were extremely popular with the public. He claims that the sessions have boosted participation on the track too and added that watching the professionals had given young hopefuls the inspiration to succeed.
Mr Heaven, who coaches the Welsh Cycling junior team, now hopes to develop a larger pool of potential Welsh winners for the British Championships and Commonwealth Games.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqV6YWKHy1M&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Juniors warming up at a training session at Wales National Velodrome