The first and only concrete velodrome in the UK : 570m³ of concrete
Cyclists are flying around the historic 405 metre track built by GD Harries and Sons, at the Carmarthen velodrome – thought to be the first and only concrete velodrome in the UK.
The £500,000 structure has been re-laid more than 100 years after its original opening in 1900. Several surface types were tested by cyclists before the decision to lay a concrete track was made. And as one of Wales’ largest independent civil engineering companies, GD Harries were selected as the sole contractor for the project.
One of the benefits of choosing a concrete track, is that it enables cyclists to travel at higher speeds than velodromes constructed from other timber or synthetic materials. But laying concrete on an inclined surface did not come without its challenges!
Our team were tasked to come up with a method of pouring the concrete on a slope without gravity redistributing it before it set. Senior Quantity Surveyor, Richard Burton, explains “The shape of a velodrome has no horizontal or flat areas; even the straits are slightly inclined, so laying concrete is quite challenging.”
“We had to come up with a method of getting it accurate and making sure the concrete stayed where it was supposed to. We achieved it by pouring the concrete into a series of bays, continually moving from the bottom to the top of each bay as we poured.”
