Hello velo 2012 cycling venue unveiled

The London 2012 VeloPark will be the best in the world, heralding a golden age for British cycling, the Olympic champion Chris Hoy claimed yesterday. Initial designs for one of the "big four" venues in the Olympic Park include a 6,000-seat velodrome and plans to create a lasting legacy for cycling in the capital after the Games.

One of the most eye-catching features is the double curvature of its lightweight roof. Mike Taylor, a director of Hopkins Architects, part of the winning design team, said the roof took its inspiration from the "speed, drama and geometry of a cycle track". Previous projects by Hopkins include the Mound Stand at Lord's and the National Tennis Centre at Roehampton.

The VeloPark design was selected from eight bids made in a competition, judged by a panel including Hoy, Sunand Prasad, president elect of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate.Hoy said: "I believe it will deliver the best velodrome in the world and will herald a golden era of cycling."

The VeloPark, expected to cost up to £40m, will include a BMX circuit, road cycle circuit and mountain bike course. The planning application will be lodged next year and construction start in 2009.