The move to Cardiff Bay has been scrapped following a long-running saga, but the Maindy site is not 100% safe
CYCLISTS need assurances over the future of Maindy Velodrome and whether future generations can continue using the track, according to one of the club’s officials.
“We just need some certainty now, so we can inspire the next Geraint Thomas, and the next Tour De France winner,” said club membership secretary Mike Richards.
Despite the long-running debate over whether Maindy Velodrome may be closed to make way for a new site for Cathays High School, training for the Maindy Flyers has still been taking place three times a week.
As previously reported by The Cardiffian, proposals to build a new velodrome in Cardiff Bay have recently been scrapped, but the council retains the option to redevelop the existing track, should plans to move the school to the Companies House site in Cathays fall through.
Maindy Flyers co-chair Alan Davis said there has been “no commitment from the council that Maindy will stay and that Maindy will be refurbished”.
Though Mr Davis joked that “the track is still better than any road in Cardiff,” it is showing signs of wear and in need of improvement to ensure it remains safe for cyclists to use, he said.
Mr Richards, whose nine year old son Tom has been training with the Maindy Flyers for the last three years, agreed that the track needs improvements if it’s to be used for the future.
“The track isn’t brilliant now,” he said. “If you were brave enough to get on your bike and go around it, you would feel lots of bumps in the track, which in a couple of years’ time could be dangerous to the cyclists.”
Richard Price, who first coached when his son joined the club aged six and has continued volunteering in the 15 years since then, believes it would not take much to give the velodrome the repairs it needs to keep going for years to come.
“If you think, the council were almost prepared to pay four million or six million to build a velodrome down the bay – a few hundred thousand pounds here to help sort out the surface and some of the walls and railings is not really a huge investment.”
Maindy Flyers celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year and the club has had a track record of producing cycling talent throughout that time.
“This club has got such a rich history of producing superstars. Geraint Thomas, Zoe Bäckstedt, Elinor Barker, you know, they’ve reached the pinnacle of cycling,” said Mr Richards.
Yet, club coach Mr Price said that the club is vital, not just for its role in training cycling superstars but for what it offers those who simply want to get their start on the track.
“Some people want to come and just get a little bit better riding and have a social environment and a mix with their friends and get better at cycling,” he added.
As membership secretary for the club, Mr Richards helps oversee the club’s 150 members, the most the club has ever had, and demand for membership remains high.
“We are inundated with people who want to be members and we’re turning them away. But, we need some certainty for the future so we can plan, because we’ve got a very long list of young riders who want to be part of the Maindy Flyers.”
Having trained generations of cyclists already, certainty would go a long way in helping the club as they hope for another 30 years of training on Maindy Velodrome.
