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Lord Coe Visits British Cycling on London 2012 Legacy Tour

28 September 2010 | More images of Lord Coe's visit

Lord Sebastian Coe has today (Tuesday 28 September 2010) paid a visit to British Cycling as part of his London 2012 legacy tour of the North West.

The Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) took to two wheels, joining the GB Cycling Team in a track session to learn some of the techniques of riding at a velodrome. He met with GB Cycling Team coaches and athletes and learnt more about the important role Manchester is playing in the squad's preparations for London 2012.

Lord Coe, right, with British Cycling CEO Ian Drake

Accompanied by multiple World BMX Champion Shanaze Reade, Sebastian Coe also had a glimpse of the National Indoor BMX Arena which is being built next to the Manchester Velodrome. Once complete, the arena will be an important legacy of the Games, set to attract over 120,000 elite and recreational users, as well as becoming an important community facility for local schools and cycling clubs.

On his visit to the Northwest, Sebastian Coe, said:

"It is a pleasure to be here today to see first-hand how the region is making the most of the London 2012 opportunities. From winning 2012 Games contracts, to training Team GB and Paralympics GB athletes and equipping people with the skills to become a London 2012 Games Maker in-venue volunteer and find employment, the Northwest is striking gold on many fronts already."

"The success of the National Cycling Centre at the Manchester Velodrome as an elite and community facility is predicated on hard work of all the partners and delivery on the shared vision that sport matters. Team GB and Paralympics GB medal success at the Beijing 2008 Games helped create the seismic shift in UK public opinion of the London 2012 Games as people looked forward to hosting such endeavours on home soil. Cycling success also gave much confidence to the team at the London 2012 Organising Committee to push on and deliver new world class arenas for further sporting triumphs."

British Cycling and Manchester City Council marked the occasion by signing a Memorandum of Understanding, a ten year agreement outlining the city's continued commitment to cycling with the aims of developing a joint strategy for performance, participation, events, facilities and grass-roots projects across all cycling disciplines.

Ian Drake, Chief Executive of British Cycling, said:

"British Cycling and its elite success are a perfect example of what Olympic legacy is all about. Our dominance on the world's performance stage at Olympic level has attracted new public and private sector funding, enabling us to build an organisation that can effectively drive participation in its sport. Since we moved to Manchester in 1994, the city has played a vital part in the transformation of our sport.

"Today's signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Manchester City Council shows our long-term commitment to the city and both the Velodrome and the new Indoor BMX Arena will be the training base for the GB Cycling Team in the build up to London 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow."

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council said:

"The phenomenal success of the Great Britain Cycling Team demonstrates exactly what can be achieved when you combine the vision, foresight and ambition of a city like Manchester. I am proud to reaffirm the city's commitment to the sport and am confident that it will continue to provide opportunities for many local people and our elite athletes of the future."