Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome

First, I think it is totally amazing and an absolute privilege for Scotland to have an indoor cycling facility — at all. So, 3 stars off the bat for the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome just being in existence in the first place! And considering that the London Olympic velodrome hasn’t been properly used since the Olympics, we are very lucky that our Velodrome has been open to the public since even before the commonwealth games started.
Second, I’m not a cyclist — my hubby is — and I accompany him on his training rides at the velodrome and I also like coming to watch events.
If you want to try riding the track — I highly recommend giving this facility a go. Track riding has it’s dangers but at least you don’t have to worry about the weather or traffic — two mega pluses!
They don’t just let anyone ride the track (more on this and why I can’t give it 5 stars). Everyone, even experienced track riders, must go through a certain degree of accreditation in order to ride. So, if you are new, you don’t have to worry about being chucked in the deep end — getting buzzed on each lap by potential Chris Hoy’s. You’ll be starting in with other beginners. There are 4 levels of accreditation and you are assessed at the end of each session — if you pass — you proceed to the next level. If you don’t, you’ll need to repeat that until you do pass. Once you pass level 4 you are ‘accredited’ at the Glasgow velodrome and can now start booking drop-​in sessions. If you are competitive, you can join in with a track league.
All sounds great, but… The 5^th star is withheld due to the difficulty of scheduling these accreditation sessions and communication issues in general. You can only book one at a time and there are limited places. So you may get through 1 and 2 and may have a long wait to get a place on the next level. Also, drop-​in sessions that we’ve been too aren’t well attended. For example, there are no Sunday drop-​ins (Sunday reserved for Scottish team training and private bookings like corporate days or birthday parties). However, I remembered last year they added some Sundays in the summer. There were no ‘announcements’ of this, but when I went to the website and downloaded the newest calendar (a pdf file, not a live online calendar — so if you download it you may just refer to your saved copy instead of continuously checking for updates) sure enough, a small box at the bottom was added to list summer Sunday sessions. Once you’re accredited, Glasgow Life (who manage the Velodrome) should have everyone’s email address. A simple newsletter highlighting changes in the calendar would go a long way to increasing attendance numbers!
If you want to watch an event, there are plenty of seats on either side of the velodrome. Unlike a road race, you’ll get to see all the action.
If you come to the Velodrome for training there is plenty of parking and a nearby train station (name eludes me). For events — don’t drive! Take the train. Also, there may be events in different parts of the sports complex so when you call to book — ask if there are events on before taking the car.

(I’ve previously reviewed the velodrome under Emirates Arena, which is the whole building — thought I’d add the velodrome part here too).
The velodrome has great seating and is a brilliant place to watch cycling — a sport I previously had no interest in whatsoever, but we thought we’d head along to check it out.
The food and drink is reasonably priced too, not like most other sporting events you go to.
I noticed when we were leaving the cycling that they had buses to take people back into town. I have no idea if these are free, but they must be quite handy as Emirates could be difficult to get to otherwise (unless by car).

Located next to Celtic Park the location of the Velodrome doesn’t look the best.
A bus service ran us from the central bus station to the venue and back. Inside the lower tier is fixed whilst the upper tier is temporary. The bends are some of the steepest I’ve seen, the on track action is always great to see. Big screens at each end also welcome the downside is the large cavernous building which makes for a poor atmosphere.
Let’s hope the Commonwealth Games brings some life though.