# Saffron Lane Velodrome, Leicester



## Goldie87

Visited here today with Mr Sam.

Saffron Lane Velodrome was built in 1978, boasts a capacity of 3100 and has a International-Standard 333 metre wooden surface with 37 degrees banking. It hosted the first International cycling championship that was held in England.

The velodrome also has an all weather pitch within the middle of it that has been used for numerous sporting events. The arena was also the home of Leicester Panthers who played American Football (Gridiron) on the surface.


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## Mr Sam

oooh some nice history i didnt know been past it enough times so glad to finally get in which in a shame was not hard as can be seen by the state of the place, such a shame to see it in that state, cant be many propper wodden tracks in the country, and trust me its ruddy steep i ran up it under the steps got half way up and slid back down

ill stick some pics up in a mo


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## Foxylady

How bizarre seeing all those seats piled up in the second pic!  Good pics, Goldie. Somewhat different, too! 

Cheers


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## Mr Sam

the running track looked active




ooh forgot one pic..






thats my field bike, had 14k on the clock when i got it 10 or so years ago most of which were done round this track, chap down the village his sons were and still are in the british cycle team and he used to be the pacemaker for them


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## Foxylady

More good pics Mr Sam. 
I had visions of you then, sliding flat-out and face down like a spider off an ice-cube. Shouldn't laugh!  

Cheers


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## Mr Sam

nah got up stopped....then started going back down, the comedy misshap of the day was elsewhere in some mud  i lost my shoe


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## smileysal

what a great place, its a shame it's closed. Why did it close? Will have to search out the history now. 

How come all the seats are all piled up at the bottom of the track? Do you know what the plans are for the place? it would be a shame if they couldn't do it up and be able to be used again for cycling.

Cheers,

 Sal


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## Goldie87

Basically I think the council said it was too costly to maintain. They didn't maintain it properly for a few years, then closed it because they said it was unsafe. Now its supposed to be being torn down and having houses and flats built on the site soon.


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## smileysal

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! thats not good, but typical of councils. grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

The Government keeps going on about getting people into fitness and trying to overcome the obesity, then on the other hand, local councils are closing things like this all the time, its ridiculous.

Cheers for that Goldie.


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## Reaperman

Looks like a unique explore I've never seen an abandoned velodrome before! It looks very bleak. Were you able to get up the camera / comentary tower?


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## King Al

Very nice, don't see many sports centres on hear, that track looks very steep and love the mega-phones


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## Mr Sam

smileysal said:


> The Government keeps going on about getting people into fitness and trying to overcome the obesity,



the really funny thing is earlier that day i saw on a phonebox Leicester has been named the 2008 European Sports capital........





Reaperman said:


> Were you able to get up the camera / comentary tower?



we thought the 2 big boxes were just water tanks but i guess they could of filmed from up there, the first 10 foot of the ladder is non egsistant though


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## Lightbuoy

Lovely photos Golds 

Like the one pic with all those seats, with just the one singled out and smashed! Good to see something a bit different. Cheers matey!

Lb


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## Goldie87

Thanks for the comments people



Lightbuoy said:


> Like the one pic with all those seats, with just the one singled out and smashed!



Yeah thats definitely my favorite pic of the day, quite pleased with that one


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## Mr Sam

Goldie87 and Kezza






myself.........and yes this time i really did end up on my bum sliding down there 






and up the tower


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## Goldie87

Wheres my head gone?! lol

That was so funny when you went down that slope, in fact the whole evening was hilarious


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## Foxylady

Great to see those night time shots Mr S. Excellent.


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## Wishmaster

nice report, liking the woodeness of the track.

Love that old Honda pic, does the bike still run?


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## sheep2405

Just seen it on TV, and had to re watch it a couple of times, but Im sure the new Seat Leon advert is filmed there.


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## krela

I very much doubt it, if I recall correctly velodromes are 250M ovals with 45degree banking on the curves. I doubt even the sporty leon would be able to go more than 15mph around it! 

They're designed to make bicycles go fast, not cars.

Newport has the national welsh velodrome but alas it's still very much in use.


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## Mr Sam

Wishmaster said:


> Love that old Honda pic, does the bike still run?



yup although i hardly get chance to use it, damn horses


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## reddwarf9

Nice report n pics, looks like the place I used to pass on way to watch Leicester City at Walkers Stadium few years back. (when they had a team worth watching lol)

Nick.


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## Goldie87

reddwarf9 said:


> looks like the place I used to pass on way to watch Leicester City at Walkers Stadium



Yep that would be the place, its pretty much round the corner from the football ground


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## sheep2405

krela said:


> I very much doubt it, if I recall correctly velodromes are 250M ovals with 45degree banking on the curves. I doubt even the sporty leon would be able to go more than 15mph around it!
> 
> They're designed to make bicycles go fast, not cars.
> 
> Newport has the national welsh velodrome but alas it's still very much in use.



The one here in Newport, yes very much in use only been built a few years, its part of the International sports village. What a laugh that is....


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## MD

this is what it looked like in its prime







this was the 1970 world championships
the year i was born!!!
man i feel old


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## Goldie87

Where did you find that?! Thats amazing to see it looking like that!


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## MD

got in a book about leicester.
pretty good.
if there are any place your looking for let me know and ill try and find em


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## Indefatigable

Fantastic and wierd location! Nice one on nabbing it before it gets flattened.


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## Mr Sam

nice find there, how are the bikes staying verticle on the banks


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## oldskoolkool

Its a real shame to see the velodrome in the state it is,i rode there in the early nineties and competed in the '92 National track champs there.It was a really nice track to ride and yea the banking is bloody steep especially when your riding around the top!!You had to keep a certain speed up to ensure you had enough lean angle so your pedal didn't hit the track thus lifting the back wheel up and sending you crashing down the banking lol.......not nice with those wooden boards.


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## oldscrote

Listening to good old radio4 the other evening they had a programme on about the 1948 London Olympics.Apperntaly(spelling)the only thing that was built specially and the only thing to vaguely survive from those far off days is the Herne hill velodrome.It's still there but due for a bulldozer job real soon,so anyone one in the locality please hit the urbex routine.


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## celestialjen

Any news on this site since the recent fire?

I was going to take a peek myself yesterday, but I ran out of time.


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## MD

there was a bit in the mercury the other night about no one is telling the residents around the area anything.
its still there the running track is being used a lot at the moment.
but dont let that put you off


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## Lightbuoy

Mr Sam said:


> Goldie87 and Kezza
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> myself.........and yes this time i really did end up on my bum sliding down there
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and up the tower



Wow, never realised that the track was made of wood -one heck of a job to sandpaper and varnish that baby  

Lb:jimlad:


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## Lightbuoy

mattdonut said:


> this is what it looked like in its prime
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> this was the 1970 world championships
> the year i was born!!!
> man i feel old



Cheers for sharing that old pic with us -great to see what it looked like "back in the day" 

Lb:jimlad:


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## fixed up fred

the track still looks like fun, shame I'm so far away id like to take my bike over for a few laps (carving up over the chairs looks like fun).
It's strange how our cycle team has been winning everything track,endurance related in the last few years yet the government/sports council don't seem to offer any real help to cyclists. just look at Herne Hill velodrome, it's an amazing place run by some great people, but it's falling apart, they have some beautiful old buildings boarded up they cant use or repair due to lacking funds. 
same with this place I'm sure repairing it would make 10 times more sense than a load of soulless new flats no one realy wants or can afford that will end up looking terrible in 10 years time.
same with harrow skatepark why cant things be recognized as historically important or even just useful?
sorry to rant... im sick of seeing usefull or interesting buildings and public space generifyed . . .


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## krela

fixed up fred said:


> the track still looks like fun, shame I'm so far away id like to take my bike over for a few laps (carving up over the chairs looks like fun).
> It's strange how our cycle team has been winning everything track,endurance related in the last few years yet the government/sports council don't seem to offer any real help to cyclists. just look at Herne Hill velodrome, it's an amazing place run by some great people, but it's falling apart, they have some beautiful old buildings boarded up they cant use or repair due to lacking funds.
> same with this place I'm sure repairing it would make 10 times more sense than a load of soulless new flats no one realy wants or can afford that will end up looking terrible in 10 years time.
> same with harrow skatepark why cant things be recognized as historically important or even just useful?
> sorry to rant... im sick of seeing usefull or interesting buildings and public space generifyed . . .



All the "UK Sport" money goes to elite athletes, quite how you get to be an elite athlete to get to the money is a bit of a mystery though.

It's the same in a lot of sports, you're totally on your own until you look like you might win a medal.

Sports in the UK are a hobby, not a valid occupation.

Massive respect to everyone who makes it though, they have to work a lot harder than athletes in a lot of other countries.


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## MD

tonights leicester mercury has the story that the velodrome is being demolished and will be gone in 14 days 
and made into brownfield site suitable for housing



linky http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7748203.stm


the mercury had a better one


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## Mr Sam

there were a couple of cars up at the buildings when we went home sunday evning

how about a last looksie?


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## MD

deffo up for that


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## Goldie87

I wouldn't mind taking a last look sometime. I really dont see the point in putting housing there when half of the site will still be taken up by sports facilities. I like how that Andy Connelly tries to shift the blame onto others for the demolition. Its a shame when someone lit a fire there once they forgot to put him on top first!  I wonder where the money they get for the land will go, luxury holidays or something knowing them


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## Donna29

Mr Sam said:


> the running track looked active
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ooh forgot one pic..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thats my field bike, had 14k on the clock when i got it 10 or so years ago most of which were done round this track, chap down the village his sons were and still are in the british cycle team and he used to be the pacemaker for them


Again another hitorical site in leicester....I was head cheerleder for Leicester panthers in my late teens so these pics are a lovely nostalgic note....Thanks again!


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