Lee Valley VeloPark
Hopkins Architects' Olympic velodrome — ride the same 250-metre Siberian pine track where Team GB won seven gold medals
Hopkins Architects' Olympic velodrome — ride the same 250-metre Siberian pine track where Team GB won seven gold medals
Lee Valley VeloPark opened as the centrepiece cycling venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, where Great Britain's track team claimed seven gold medals inside the 6,000-seat velodrome. Designed by Hopkins Architects and shaped like a curving saddle — earning it the nickname "the Pringle" — the building won the RIBA Stirling Prize People's Choice and the Design Museum's Architecture Award.
Since reopening to the public in March 2014, the venue offers sessions across four cycling disciplines. Visitors can ride the 250-metre velodrome track, try the outdoor BMX course, cycle a one-mile road circuit or explore eight kilometres of mountain bike trails through the surrounding parkland.
Lee Valley VeloPark was built for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on a 30-acre site in the north of what is now Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Hopkins Architects won the design competition in 2007, beating entries from Wilkinson Eyre and Zaha Hadid among others. Construction began in 2009 and the velodrome was completed in February 2011, making it the first permanent Olympic venue to be finished — more than a year ahead of the opening ceremony.
The building's distinctive double-curved roof, engineered by Expedition Engineering, spans the 250-metre track without intermediate supports and uses a cable-net structure that reduced the amount of steel required by comparison with a conventional roof. Natural ventilation channels air through the building, eliminating the need for air conditioning and cutting energy consumption. During the Games, 6,000 spectators watched Team GB's cyclists — including Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Laura Trott — win seven gold medals inside the velodrome.
The velodrome track is the centrepiece experience. Built from 56 kilometres of Siberian pine and designed by Ron Webb, the same engineer behind the Sydney and Athens Olympic tracks, it banks at 42 degrees on the turns and 12 degrees on the straights. Taster sessions for beginners last 80 minutes and include bike hire, helmet and coaching. Riders must be at least 12 years old and 145 centimetres tall. More experienced cyclists can book track accreditation sessions to earn independent riding access.
Outside, the BMX track runs experience sessions for riders aged seven and over, with bikes, helmets and coaching provided. The one-mile road circuit is open to all ages and abilities — individual sessions cost £7.25 and family tickets cover four people for £23. For off-road riding, eight kilometres of mountain bike trails thread through the surrounding parkland with routes graded for beginners and intermediate riders.
Lee Valley VeloPark sits at the northern end of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a short walk from the London Aquatics Centre, London Stadium and the ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower. The 560-acre park includes landscaped gardens, playgrounds, waterways and cafes, making it straightforward to fill a full day.
Cycling customers receive up to four hours of free car parking on site, though public transport is the easier option. Stratford station serves the Jubilee, Central and Elizabeth lines plus the DLR, and Hackney Wick on the London Overground is closer to the venue's southern entrance. A cafe inside the VeloPark serves hot and cold food, and the ground floor reception area has changing rooms, lockers and shower facilities available to all visitors.
Bike and helmet hire is included with velodrome taster sessions. Equipment hire for other sessions costs £13 for adults and £9 for under-18s.
Taster sessions on the Olympic track are popular and often sell out weeks in advance. Book through the Better website as soon as dates are released to secure your preferred slot.
The venue requires all velodrome and BMX riders to check in at reception 30 minutes before the start time. Late arrivals cannot ride and will not receive a refund.
Loose clothing can catch on the fixed- gear track bikes. Wear fitted shorts or leggings and a close-fitting top. Trainers with a stiff sole work best if you do not have cycling shoes.
The London Aquatics Centre is a five- minute walk south. A morning cycling session followed by an afternoon swim makes a full Olympic Park day out without needing to leave the site.
Cycling customers get up to four hours of free car parking via Honour Lea Road and Peloton Avenue. Register your number plate at reception when you check in for your session.
London Travel Writer · 12+ years covering UK attractions and tourism
Last reviewed: March 10, 2026
