Cyclopark is a purpose-built facility for
cycling and other outdoor activities, located on the south side of
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
, north
Kent in south-east
England, adjacent to the A2 dual carriageway.
History
The site of Cyclopark is on the old re-routed
A2 road near Gravesend. The redundant A2 route between Pepperhill (suburb of Gravesend) and Marling Cross (near
Cobham) was developed into a safe pedestrian, cycle and equestrian route, which also passes Cyclopark, linking it to
National Cycle Route 1.
Construction of Cyclopark began in January 2011 and took approximately 10 months, with the site opened officially in early 2012. Funding was provided by
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is a county council that governs most of the county of Kent in England. It is the upper tier of elected local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council h ...
,
Sport England, the Colyer-Fergusson Trust,
British Cycling and the
Homes and Communities Agency. It is situated in the area covered by the
Thames Gateway development plan.
Early test events included the Southern Area
BMX
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
History
BMX began during the earl ...
Championships (15-16 October 2011), and a visit from the US Olympic BMX team.
In 2014, it was on the shortlist for the 2014
Kent Design Awards.
Facilities
In 43
ha of landscaped parkland, the Cyclopark facilities include:
*6 km of off-road trails (graded to provide separate routes for different abilities)
*a 2.9 km long, 6 m wide tarmac circuit (capable of being extended to 5.3 km)
*a 340 m BMX track
*children's playground
*skate park
External links
www.cyclopark.com
See also
*
Crystal Palace (circuit)
*
Betteshanger Park
*
Hillingdon Cycle Circuit
*
Redbridge Cycling Centre
References
Cycle racing in England
BMX tracks
Mountain biking venues in the United Kingdom
Gravesend, Kent
Sports venues in Kent
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