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34-572: It is located just off Randolph Avenue between Carlton Vale and Elgin Avenue . The area covered by the park has " Conservation Area " status. It was selected in 1995 by the LEU as a non-statutory Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). The Paddington Recreation Ground was "the earliest public athletic ground of its kind in London". It was first used for recreational purposes in 1860 when

68-477: A health and fitness centre operated by Everyone Active . The park also has a cafe that sells drinks, food and ice cream. Catford Cycling Club first held track races in the grounds in 1889, just one year after the park was opened to the public. It was reported in The Woolwich Gazette in 1892 that these races were attracting up to 7,000 spectators. The cycling club relocated their races to

102-471: A new velodrome in Turkmenistan 's capital city Ashgabat both have a 250 m track and a 6,000-seat spectator capacity. Banking in the turns, called cant , allows riders to keep their bikes relatively perpendicular to the surface while riding at speed. When travelling through the turns at racing speed, which may exceed 85 km/h (52.8 mph), the banking attempts to match the natural lean of

136-500: A bicycle moving through that curve. At the ideal speed, the net force of the centrifugal force (outward) and gravity (downward) is angled down through the bicycle, perpendicular to the riding surface. Riders are not always travelling at full speed or at a specific radius. Most events have riders all over the track. Team races (like the Madison ) have some riders at speed and others riding more slowly. In match sprints riders may come to

170-404: A different arrangement of lines to suit their facility and to assist riders in holding a straight line and in avoiding drifting onto the flatter section below the bankings where they risk their tyres sliding out. Between the infield (sometimes referred to as an apron) and the actual track is the blue band (called "côte d'azur") which is typically 10% of the surface. The blue band is not technically

204-423: A part of the track; although it is not illegal to ride there, moving into it to shortcut another rider results in disqualification. During time trials, pursuits or other timed events, the blue band is obstructed with sponges or other objects. The blue band is a warning to cyclists that they may scrape their pedal along the infield when in a curve, which can easily result in a crash. 20 centimetres (7.9 in) above

238-542: A purpose-built velodrome in 1894. The original running track, which was removed in 1987 to make way for the new cricket pitch, was used by Roger Bannister in the early 1950s to train for the four minute mile attempt, while he was a medical student at the nearby St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. A blue plaque was unveiled at the pavilion in September 2000 to commemorate his achievement. Another blue plaque at

272-407: A stop by performing a track stand in which they balance the bicycle on the sloped surface while keeping their feet locked into the pedals. For these reasons, the banking tends to be 10 to 15 degrees less than physics predicts. Also, the straights are banked 10 to 15 degrees more than physics would predict. These compromises make the track ridable at a range of speeds. From the straight, the curve of

306-725: A £3.5 million regeneration programme, enabling extensive refurbishments to be carried out at the grounds to "meet changing community needs and environmental demands". Today, the Recreation Ground receives financial support and practical involvement from various sports organisations, including Sport England , the Football Foundation , the English Football Association , and... the Lawn Tennis Association . Included within

340-457: Is 0.2 miles or 321.9 m. Velodrome tracks can be surfaced with different materials, including timber, synthetics and concrete. Shorter, newer, and Olympic quality tracks tend to be timber or synthetics; longer, older, or inexpensive tracks are concrete, macadam, or even cinder. Important cycling events are usually held on tracks which have lines laid out in a specified arrangement. Some other tracks also follow these protocols, but others have

374-477: Is an arena for track cycling . Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement curve . The first velodromes were constructed during the late 1870s, the oldest of which is the Preston Park Velodrome , Brighton , United Kingdom, built in 1877 by

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408-483: Is defined today, was first formally opened to the public in April 1888, when the pavilion, which still survives, was also opened. The park was originally conceived as a work creation scheme to alleviate the 1887–88 economic slump. Five hundred men were employed for ten weeks to drain, fence, and lay out the land. The park was an immediate success and crowds of 10,000 could be seen on Saturday afternoons. A cinder cycle track

442-543: Is located in Little Venice near to the Paddington branch of the Grand Union Canal . The street runs northwards, crossing Clifton Gardens, Sutherland Avenue (near to its junction with Warrington Crescent ), Elgin Avenue and Carlton Vale . The road then continues as Randolph Gardens until it meets Kilburn Park Road. The Edgware Road runs directly parallel to Randolph Avenue to the east. The street

476-592: Is measured along a line 20 cm (7.9 in) up from the bottom. Olympic and World Championship velodromes must measure 250 m (820 ft). Other events on the UCI International Calendar may be held in velodromes that measure between 133 and 500 m (436 and 1,640 ft) inclusive, with a length such that a whole or half number of laps give a distance of 1 km (0.62 mi). The velodrome at Calshot in Hampshire , England,

510-690: Is only 142 m (466 ft) and has especially steep banking because it was built to fit inside an aircraft hangar . The Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario , Canada, is the world's shortest at 138 m (453 ft). Built to fit a hockey arena, it too has steep banking. The smaller the track, the steeper the banking. A 250 m (820 ft) track banks around 45°, while a 333.33 m (1,093.6 ft) track banks around 32°. Some older velodromes were built to imperial standards . The Dick Lane Velodrome in East Point, Georgia , United States,

544-640: The Men's and Women's England Hockey Leagues . Established in 1894, this is one of the largest adult hockey clubs in the UK. 51°31′49″N 0°11′29″W  /  51.530239°N 0.191394°W  / 51.530239; -0.191394 Randolph Avenue Randolph Avenue is a street in Maida Vale in London . Located in the City of Westminster , it is a long avenue running from north to south. The southern end

578-721: The Vélodrome d'hiver was built in Paris in 1909 and featured a 250 m (820.2 ft) indoor track with a wooden surface. International competitions such as the Olympic Games led to more standardisation: two-straight oval tracks quickly became the norm, and gradually lap lengths reduced. The Vélodrome de Vincennes , used for the 1900 (and 1924) Games was 500 m (1,640 ft) per lap, while Antwerp 's Vélodrome d'Anvers Zuremborg , used in 1920, and Helsinki Velodrome , used in 1952, were both 400 m (1,312 ft). By

612-517: The illustrator John Tenniel . Tenniel's residence had a blue plaque , placed by the London County Council , on it from 1930 until 1959 when the house was demolished for redevelopment. 51°31′44″N 0°11′06″W  /  51.52902°N 0.18492°W  / 51.52902; -0.18492 This London road or road transport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Velodrome A velodrome

646-563: The 1960s up to 1989, tracks of 333.33 m (1,094 ft) length were commonly used for international competitions (e.g.: the Agustín Melgar Olympic Velodrome used for track cycling events at the 1968 Summer Olympics , and Leicester 's Saffron Lane velodrome used at the 1970 and 1982 Track Cycling World Championships ). Since 1990, such events are usually held on velodromes with 250 m (820 ft 2.52 in) laps. London's 2012 Olympic velodrome and

680-549: The 536 m (1,759 ft) Portsmouth velodrome , in Portsmouth , has a single straight linked by one long curve. The oldest surviving regular velodrome two-straight oval tracks is from 1889, located in Brno , Czech Republic. Early surfaces included cinders or shale, though concrete, asphalt and tarmac later became more common. Indoor velodromes were also common particularly in the late 19th and early 20th century. For example,

714-488: The British Army. Some were purpose-built just for cycling, and others were built as part of facilities for other sports; many were built around athletics tracks or other grounds and any banking was shallow. Reflecting the then-lack of international standards, sizes varied and not all were built as ovals: for example, Preston Park is 579 m (1,900 ft) long and features four straights linked by banked curves, while

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748-484: The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII ) visited the park with his wife and daughters. Lord Randolph Churchill , MP for Paddington South , who had been instrumental in establishing the park, lobbied the Prince to save the park for recreational and educational purposes. Over the ensuing years, with the Prince's patronage, they were able to raise the £50,000 needed to acquire the freehold. The Paddington Recreation Act

782-515: The Recreation Ground are thirteen tennis courts , a 400m athletics track (refurbished in 2020), two artificial turf pitches, a "water-based" hockey pitch , a bowling green , cricket nets , children's play areas , a bandstand , picnic areas, an environmental area and several gardens. At the centre of the park is a traditional 19th century pavilion overlooking a 'village green area' cricket pitch, around 100 metres (330 ft) in length, with an artificial cricket wicket . The pavilion houses

816-413: The blue band is the black measurement line. The inner edge of this 5 centimetres (2.0 in) line defines the length of the track. 90 centimetres (35 in) above the inside of the track is the outside of the 5 cm wide red sprinter 's line. The zone between black and red lines is sprinter's lane, which is the optimum route around the track. A rider leading in the sprinter's lane may not be passed on

850-566: The inside; other riders must pass on the longer outside route. Minimum 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) (or half the track width) above the inside of the track is the blue stayer's line. This line serves in races behind motorbikes as a separation line. Stayers below the blue line may not be overtaken on the inside. In Madison races (named after six-day races at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, and also known as "the American"),

884-516: The local church laid down a cricket pitch for the parish community to share. During the 1880s, Mr Richard Beachcroft, Secretary of the Paddington Cricket Club, led the initiative to formalise and extend the cricket ground by forming a committee of local cricket clubs and negotiating arrangements with local landowners. The pavilion was renamed "The Richard Beachcroft Pavilion" in 2010 to recognise this work. The area, largely as it

918-449: The pavilion honours the success of former professional racing cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins , who learned to ride a bike in the park as a child while living in nearby Kilburn . His father, Australian professional cyclist Gary Wiggins , also trained at the grounds in his younger days, as did former British track cyclist Reg Harris before him. The hockey pitch is home to Hampstead & Westminster Hockey Club , who enter teams in both

952-456: The rider to slow by pushing back against the pedals. Modern velodromes are constructed by specialised designers. The Schuermann architects in Germany have built more than 125 tracks worldwide. Most of Schuermann's outdoor tracks are made of wood trusswork with a surface of strips of the rare rain-forest wood Afzelia . Indoor velodromes are built with less expensive pine surfaces. The track

986-490: The road features white stucco terraces but these give way to brick-fronted buildings further north including redbrick mansion blocks . Maida Vale tube station was opened in 1915 at the junction of the street and Elgin Avenue and is now Grade II listed . A number of other properties in Randolph Avenue are also listed. Notable residents of the street have included the painter Eliza Anne Leslie-Melville and

1020-412: The team's relief rider rests above the stayer's line by riding slowly until his or her teammate comes around the track and throws him or her back into the race. The finish line is black on a wide white band and near the end of the home straight. Red lines are marked in the exact centre of each straight as start and finish line for pursuit races. A white 200 m line marks 200 metres (660 ft) before

1054-526: The track increases gradually into the circular turn. This section of decreasing radius is called the easement spiral or transition. It allows bicycles to follow the track around the corner at a constant radial position. Thus riders can concentrate on tactics rather than steering. Bicycles for velodromes, better known as track bicycles , have no brakes. They employ a single fixed rear gear, or cog, that does not freewheel. This helps maximise speed, reduces weight, and avoids sudden braking while nevertheless allowing

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1088-412: Was built in 1888; this was replaced in 1900 with a banked cycle track, with an additional running track installed inside it. These combined tracks, which were on the site of the current cricket pitch, were removed in 1987. The grass bank parallel to Grantully Road is now the only remaining evidence of the banked cycle track. In its early years, the park was still only held on a short lease. On 9 July 1890,

1122-483: Was part of an ambitious plan for the area laid out by the architect George Gutch in the 1820s to accommodate the expanding population of the capital. Development took several decades with many buildings constructed in the first half of the Victorian era , particularly the 1860s. For much of its existence it was known as Portsdown Road , but was renamed in 1939. It is a largely residential street. The southern end of

1156-580: Was passed by parliament in 1893, authorising the formal acquisition of lands in the Parish of Paddington to "provide the residents with a public recreational ground", and a charitable trust was established in 1896 under the name of the Paddington Recreation Ground, owned by London County Council . In time, a further six acres were acquired to bring the ground to its current size of 27 acres. In 2006, Westminster City Council launched

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