Maindy Centre
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Maindy_Pool_%26_Cycle_Track.jpg/220px-Maindy_Pool_%26_Cycle_Track.jpg)
Maindy Centre (Welsh: Canolfan Maendy, formerly known as Maindy Stadium, now also known as Maindy Pool and Cycle Track) is a velodrome and indoor swimming pool facility in the Maindy area of Cardiff, Wales. The velodrome was used in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the swimming pool was opened in 1993.[1]
Maindy Stadium opened in 1951. The stadium has previously had an athletics running track, which was transferred from
History
The site on which the Maindy Centre stands was gifted by
Boxing matches also took place at Maindy Stadium between May 1935 and July 1963.[5]
Facilities
The 460 metres (1,509.2 ft) outdoor floodlit cycling velodrome was well known for its slight unevenness, caused by subsidence, as the stadium was built on the clay pit. There was a six-lane cinder running track inside the cycle track at one point, but this has since been removed and replaced by a mini football pitches and a road section for traffic safety courses (in the middle of the velodrome.[1] There was also extensive seating and covered area with a judges box in the 1960s, on an area which is now a grass bank behind the back straight of the cycle track.[6] At that time, the finish line on the cycle track was located at the opposite side of the cycle track to its current location.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Maindy_Swimming_Pool.jpg/220px-Maindy_Swimming_Pool.jpg)
Maindy remains to be used extensively for training and racing and hosts many events such as the Cardiff International Grand Prix.[7] It is used in particular for teaching youngsters to ride. At 460 metres in length and 18 degree bankings,[8] the track is not as steep as the majority of velodromes, and therefore perfect for those new to the sport. The concrete surface is also used for floodlit training sessions during the winter, where road bicycles are used as opposed to track bicycles.
The cycle track has recently been resurfaced, seeing an end to the characteristic red asphalt surface which covered it for several years,[8] funded by the Eddie Smart memorial fund.
The Maindy Flyers Youth Cycling Club is also based at the stadium, and boasts past members such as
The facility also has a 6-lane 25 metres (82.0 ft) length swimming pool, which was opened in 1993, and a 5-a-side pitch,[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Maindy Centre". Cardiff Council. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "Maindy Stadium velodrome set to be 'needlessly' bulldozed". The National. 17 July 2021.
- Walesonline. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Maindy Stadium". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ "Maindy Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom". BoxRec. 2 April 2011.
- ^ "Photo of Cardiff, Maindy Stadium c1960". Francis Frith.
- ^ "2008 Track Major Events Calendar". British Cycling. 11 January 2008. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Bicycle Tracks & Velodromes". Bike Cult. 25 July 2005.
- WalesOnline. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
- ^ "From Go-Ride to Glasgow for Team Wales Riders". British Cycling. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
External links
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