Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium
Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium’s outdoor velodrome offers an inspiring gateway for cyclists of all abilities. The 460m tarmacadam track encircles the athletics field, complete with a 780-seat stand and a British Cycling approved enclosure — ready to host everything from relaxed rides to competitive events.
Learn, Grow, Ride
Palmer Park’s cycling programme is thoughtfully tiered to guide partici-pants from their first pedal strokes through to competitive track racing.
The ‘Learn to Ride’ (or ‘After School Cycling’) sessions run on Monday and Thursday evenings from 4–5pm, catering to children aged 2–18. These beginner classes use games, drills and friendly races to build confidence and essential bike safety skills.
For those ready to go further, the Cycling Skills intermediate session (Wednesdays 4–5pm, age 6–18) explores more advanced bike handling and introduces racing concepts.
Inclusive/Accessible Cycling meets Wednesday mornings at 10–11am, offering a supportive environment for riders of varying abilities using specialist equipment.
You are encouraged to bring your own bike and helmet; however, we do have a selection of bikes available for hire, as well as a limited number of helmets.
Advanced sessions take place Tuesday and Thursday evenings (8:15pm–9:45pm) for cyclists 14+, shifting between road bikes (in winter) and fixed-wheel track bikes (summer), with entry into fixed-wheel requiring SQT accreditation.
To find out more, visit https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/reading/palmer-park/cycling-palmer-park
Rob Ansell
General Manager, Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium GLL
