Image Credits: Getty Images, Outside view Richard Davies & Inside David Poultney

British cyclists including Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Jason Kenny took to the track in the London 2012 Velodrome for the first time as the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) unveiled the first Olympic Park venue to finish construction, on time and to budget.

The 6,000 seat Velodrome will host the Olympic and Paralympic Track Cycling events in 2012. After the Games, the legacy Velodrome will be used by elite athletes and the local community and will include a café, bike hire and cycle workshop facilities. The ODA started work on the Velodrome in March 2009 with construction now completed and the first Olympic Park venue in place nearly 18 months before the start of the Games.

Selected riders from the Great Britain Cycling Team tried out the Velodrome for the first time today including Beijing Games medal winners Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Jason Kenny and Ross Edgar, together with rising stars and established names in the GB cycling team. The cyclists were joined in unveiling the Velodrome by ODA Chairman John Armitt, Seb Coe Chair of the London Organising Committee (LOCOG), Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt, Mayor of London Boris Johnson and other guests.

Ian Drake, Chief Executive of British Cycling, said: 'This fantastic Velodrome will be nothing but an inspiration to our Olympic and Paralympic riders in 2012. Indeed, with the continued growth in popularity of cycling, anyone who is inspired to ride by the likes of Hoy or Pendleton will benefit. Put alongside our home in Manchester and the forthcoming Velodrome in Glasgow we are in a really strong position to further build upon our status as the world’s leading track cycling nation with world-class facilities that are second to none.'

To find out more about 2012 click here