Lee Valley Velodrome - Is it fulfilling its legacy promises?

I feel the same way as you @Señor_Bear. I was attending regularly after my accreditation and did the first full gas track league season there, but only attended one or two race meets the second year and haven't even bothered registering this year as the way it was run was not what I would expect from a grassroots track league organisation.

The whole thing is too expensive for an enthusiast to really get anything out of it. I finished the first track league sixth in my category, got an envelope with a note asking for my bank details so they could pay my "winnings" (£20 or something like that) into my bank account and I never received that money, even after messaging them a few times about it. I gave up asking cos it was just the amount of attending one race.

Tack League in the B's on Wednesday night gets has had as few as 9 attendees

Probably because it's too fucking expensive for the people that it should be being run for.

In my work I have been to 3 of the indoor velodromes and have been told they all run at a loss .tjis is perhaps why they are so expensive .
Would out door tracks be a better option for the average cyclist ?.
More cheaper and accessible sport for all back in the day I rode nottingham leicester and forest town a lot . All got s lot of use and where cheap to ride .

all of this is somewhat disheartening as somebody who would like to start using the velodrome. Stratford is much closer to me than Herne Hill and ultimately I would pay a bit more for the convenience of both proximity and practicality of an indoor circuit but it's shit to hear about the other organisational and community related shortcomings. Is there any way a collective letter/survey type thing could be submitted to LVV that would indicate these concerns to them?

I doubt the London track will ever make money as it probably costs too much to run compared to what it can generate in revenue. I'd like to see the figures though.
I ride there on average once a week - Vets session costing £20. For that I get free parking (I live N of Saffron Walden so have no choice but to drive), 2hrs on the track, generally with a good group of riders and a good session, a shower and wireless so I can fit in a few calls/mails. All in a pleasant and rain-free environment. I'm in construction so always admire the building as well - it's a joy to be inside it.
Considering a beer in that part of the world is c£4-5 (probably more for an artisan or craft beer) and every time I go into C London for the day I easily burn £20-30 on coffees, a simple lunch & a few bottles of water then it's not that expensive.
When I go I am guaranteed a ride indoors in excellent conditions (well apart from the other Monday night with the water leak).
For the quality of what you're riding in and where it is, it doesn't seem that expensive. Other tracks aren't as expensive (I used to ride at Newport when working near Bristol) but then they aren't as close.
Yes the organisation and operation - especially the website - could improve but I doubt that's factored into the costs.

every time I go into C London for the day I easily burn £20-30 on coffees, a simple lunch & a few bottles of water then it's not that expensive.

There are quite a few people who would consider that expensive. If you're on a London living wage with two children and private renting you just can't do that.

Could never afford to go. Feels a bit millenium dome if you get what I mean.

Also, you probably don't get 2 hours on the track in a 2 our session. More like 55 minutes.

I think the problem is that there seems to be no flexibility to the prices, for something that was meant to fulfill some form of legacy role. I feel £20 for a one-off session is reasonable, and as an adult a for a primary source of entertainment its okay. But if you wanted to do it every week, as a youth or person with limited income its clearly a lot harder.

It is also a problem with London where there is a clear stratification of what people can afford. I certainly never spend £20-30 on lunch+water+coffee.

I also agree that the building is beautiful, and clearly is going to be running at a loss, but if that's the case then maybe they should subsidise development more?

(none of the money points are meant as personal digs, btw)

Edit: and re^, I felt really glad that I did the LFGSS session where we ended up getting 1.5 hour sessions and actually managed about an hour and 20 min of riding

£30 on lunch and coffees? I spend £35 on my weekly shop that does 3 meals a day.
I'd love to start riding track but Lee Valley is not doable for me. I'll likely go down to herne hill this year but I'd love to have been able to afford to join regular sessions at LVV but I don't have a spare £100 a month

value perception is diluting this thread, bear has a point. Its tax payers money that funded this.

I spend £5 on my monthly shop!

I have to ride to school in crocs, even in winter.

I spend £5 on my monthly shop!

you are a sponsored influencer tho

I think value perception is what this is about at the end of the day. The legacy is that after the olympics, the facilities will encourage people to get into the sport and be accessible for all. Which I don't think it is for anyone on a low to average wage having to pay London living costs.

I think @amey was making this point too.

I.E. I think as a facility to be able to access it for £20 is pretty impressive, but as a publicly funded facility that was meant to be accessible it isn't. The first part can distract from the second

To all that care/want change:

What can we do to change this?

It would be good to get an idea of costs on running a track league. I'd love to try and run one, but I doubt they'd let anything run outside of the current full gas setup.

Alternatively, try and get LVV to work closer with local clubs (like VCL at HH) and create more of a community based schedule, where clubs can have regular slots on a weekly/fortnightly/monthly basis.

Just spitballin' ideas.

I wonder if you could get corporates to sponsor places for juniors as a scholarship type scheme, whilst that has limited scope it at least would deliver in terms of training the next generation of stars

Brick lane bagel, coffee, can of coke, and bottle of water from saino's round the corner will leave you change from a fiver, I think £20/£30 is tourism.

Very eloquently put. Having being there opening the cycle surgery I was in a position to learn about the ins and outs of the place. The concept of Olympic legacy and customer service do not exist there. The corporate days are circa £25k to hold, but they do not use them to subsidise the community aspect. They took steps to offset the massive rates bill. But they are so bogged down in bureaucracy they don't know what it means to foster community. Compounding this the place is designed like a stadium not a sports centre. Considering it took them over 8mnths to get ANY racing going because they use promoters and demand the facility is paid for use upfront.

I used to a few upset old boys complaining about the legacy but and I see now they are right.

I am not sure how full gas has won the right to hold the track league but it would need some dosh to get it going.

I think they need to be more open to letting clubs/teams their own races on (like Herne Hill open season races) without the cost being astronomical.

I absolutely agree. There doesn't appear to be any flexibility in the pricing. It's a great venue and we're lucky having it close to home (well closer than Derby or Newport). I was born in Hackney and grew up in Leyton so it's a joy to see this part of London so well developed from what it was.

£20 a session is reasonable but every week does become expensive (even for someone who can spend £30 on lunch & coffees). It could be improved;
** Discounts for regular booking i.e. a buy 10 get 1 free type thing
** Discounted rates for Juniors
** Senior citizens do get a reduction - in 5 years time I will only have to pay £16 per session

I am sure youth group sessions are discounted/subsidised. As a schoolboy we rode at Eastway (which was under Lea Valley Park) as our PE lesson and I'm sure it was all free for the school.

I don't know what the financial drivers for the Velodrome/Lea Valley Park are but there are some good suggestions here - especially for Corporate events to subsidise those with limited incomes.

It also needs someone at LVVP to read all this and be able to make changes where they are possible.

BTW with the job I do I don't have the luxury of choosing what, when and where I can eat/drink when I go into London. I have to get everything on the fly during the day whenever I have time which is why I end up paying full London rates for it all.

Is there a users' group, to collate concerns and give feedback and assistance in a constructive way? Regular meetings with the management and coaches etc. might be useful.

If not, shall we start one?

I think starting one is a great idea!

I'm going to dig about and see if I can find any info on how it's financed. It might be that we start with the council.