Following a review by Welsh Cycling of Ruthin Town Council’s feasibility and business case study that was carried out by LK2, an independent specialist company, Welsh Cycling have confirmed their selection of Ruthin as the location for a proposed North Wales Outdoor Velodrome, based on the selection of a site at Glasdir and their desire to progress the project to the next stages.  These include discussions with Denbighshire County Council on adopting the vacant site, consulting with the local community on ideas for a landscaped parkland velodrome, developing the operational model with stakeholders and more detailed proposals and costings.

A community driven cycling hub

Ruthin is perfectly located to be a hub for all cycling disciplines, with road access to some of the best road and mountain bike routes anywhere in the world towards Snowdonia and beyond. The vision for the Velodrome is that Ruthin becomes a central hub for cycling in the Vale of Clwyd at the heart of a number of existing cycling facilities from the OnePlanet Adventure MTB tracks at Coed Llandegla up to Marsh tracks in Rhyl.

The proposed facility is not just for the experienced cyclists (and cycling clubs), but will be a community focussed centre with a programme of use that will provide opportunities for all sectors of the community covering road safety training, ladies cycling, primary and high school pupils, young adults, inclusive cycling and wheeled activities for the disabled as well as over 60+ active cycling opportunities.

Exciting time for cycling

It’s an exciting time for Cycling, with the UK and Welsh government announcing a raft of initiatives to encourage people to take up cycling through the Active travel proposals and the review of the highway code. The vision includes:

• better streets for cycling and people
• cycling and walking at the heart of decision-making
• empowering and encouraging local authorities
• enabling people to cycle and protecting them when they do

The Velodrome facility will provide the residents of North Wales (and beyond) the opportunity to learn how to ride and improve their skills in a safe and accessible venue, and also give children across the region the opportunity to develop their abilities so that they can cycle safely and participate competitively at a local and national level.

Mayor of Ruthin – Gavin Harris commented:

“Ruthin Town Council, supported by funding from Cadwyn Clwyd, have worked collaboratively with many stakeholders to progress the project despite the impact of Covid, and are excited to have the town’s selection confirmed by Welsh Cycling following the production of a comprehensive feasibility study. The independent specialists have been able to outline the projects viability, affordability and potential usage from across North Wales, which is testament to our initial bid winning vision.  We look forward now to developing ideas for a parkland outdoor velodrome in a landscaped setting at Glasdir with the local community so that this unique project can offer recreational and sports participation benefits, economic regeneration impacts through a sustainable facility that can bring broad benefits to Ruthin, Denbighshire and the wider North Wales community”.

For further information please contact:

RTC Project Co-ordinator. – Ruth Astbury – ruth.astbury@gmail.com – 07484 647 661

Ruthin Town Council, Mayor Gavin Harris – gavin.harris@me.com – 07538 922 628