A week after Street Velodrome attended the Pedal Power event in Devon, the team were heading back down south to Portsmouth where the track was erected at Southsea. The Cube Management team travelled down on Friday afternoon and began to assemble the pop-up velodrome track perfectly positioned to provide a picturesque view of the sea!
Early Saturday morning, the day got underway with some test laps from the weekend’s professional riders, Jessica Watts and Georgina Mackenzie. Having an all-female lineup was brilliant for the next-gen girls of Portsmouth to see, helping inspire them to pursue a career in cycling. The pro riders are there to share their tips and tricks in order to master the banked corners; and once the participants got the swing of things, many of them were quick to challenge the Street Velodrome pro riders and other staff to races. In addition, the professional duo engaged in an exhilarating best-of-three head-to-head showdown, with Jess going undefeated and taking the victory.
Throughout the entire day, a diverse range of participants took part, this included the next generation of aspiring boys and girls as well as men and women, who took to the track to set time laps and secure their place on the SV leaderboard; with some even returning for a second (and third) chance to improve their time.
A big thank you to Portsmouth City Council who were excellent hosts. Street Velodrome hopes to ignite change at a grassroots level and offer a more accessible cycling experience; this was truly encompassed in Portsmouth with, general manager, Patrick Robinson sharing a personal highlight from the day:
“A highlight of mine was helping Etty, who is visually impaired, master the velodrome and didn’t want to leave in the end after having so much fun! Thank you, Etty, for putting your trust in me!”
Once the day managed to get underway, it proved to be a resounding success, with participants leaving with unforgettable memories and hopefully the desire to pursue a career in cycling. The Street Velodrome team expressed much appreciation to everyone who got involved and those who came to show their support from the sidelines.
One parent expressed their appreciation to Street Velodrome by saying:
“Thank you to your wonderful staff at the Portsmouth event today. Our daughter had a wonderful time, and everyone there made it very memorable for her. They were all so friendly, enthusiastic, and engaged with her.”
Jamie Tranter
Street Velodrome