It had never been “renovated” since its inauguration in early 2014. The track of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines national Vélodrome has been given a makeover in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The 250 m Siberian wooden ring, the widest in Europe (8 m), has regained its shine after entirely hand sanding by the Bouygues teams and the support of the company VéloTrack, specialized in exercise throughout the world.
Eight people worked on the site. It’s a new tool that the stars of the track will discover next August. The site remained closed to track riders – the French team and the 500 subscribers – for two weeks, from April 9 to April 24. The scope of the work, the cost of which amounts to 150,000 euros supported by the agglomeration of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (SQY), was presented this Thursday. The opinions are unanimous.
“I feel like I touched a new toy, enjoy Quentin Lafargue, 33 years old, member of the French team Olympic transition from sprinting to endurance. The lines are beautiful, the wood shines, it really makes you want it. Afterwards, I don’t yet know to what extent this can have an impact on performance. »
“Inconceivable to show the world the image of a slightly mistreated track”
“It was inconceivable to show the world the image of a slightly mistreated track,” summarizes Michel Callot, president of the French Cycling Federation (FFC).
Unlike the athletics track at the Stade de France, which will turn purple for the Games, the ring of the national velodrome will remain in its raw state. Signage developments, such as the Olympic rings, will take place from June 28 when Paris 2024 officially takes possession of the premises.
Based at the national velodrome, the headquarters of the FFC will move, in part at the aeronautical institute of Saint-Cyr-l’Écolethe time of the Games to give way to the Paris 2024 teams.
