Palmer Park Stadium
Encyclopedia
Palmer Park Stadium is located in Palmer Park
Palmer Park, Reading
Palmer Park is a public park in Reading, England. The land for the park was given to the town in 1889 by the Palmer family, proprietors of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory, and contains a statue of George Palmer....

, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

. It contains a velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...

 and athletics stadium. Set in acres of parkland, the stadium provides a focal point for a variety of indoor and outdoor leisure activities, and is also used by the Berkshire Renegades for training

Velodrome

The velodrome was originally built at the turn of the 20th century, making it one of the oldest in the country. It has hosted weekly track leagues throughout the summer and many national events and championships such as the British National Derny Championships
British National Derny Championships
The British National Derny Championships are annual bicycle races held in the UK.The event is often known as the motor paced or stayers championships, but this is a misnomer because a motor paced or stayers race is one where the pacing machine is a modified motorbike of anything from 100cc to...

.

459 metres in length, it has been described as one of the country's best asphalt track surfaces, although until 1955 when it was resurfaced, it was a loose red shale which meant riders often slid sideways in the bankings. The velodrome was closed in 2002 due to subsidence, as the track was built on the location of some old chalk pits. Reading Borough Council had the dips filled and the track surface refurbished for the start of the 2003 season. Palmer Park Velo cycling club is based at the velodrome, it caters for children between the ages of 4 and 18. Past members of Palmer Park Velo include John Paul, who in August 2011 won the World Junior Track Sprint Championship. Other past members include the female professional riders Hannah Barnes and Harriet Owen.

External links

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