Cycling in Manchester: Routes, Clubs & the Velodrome
Home of British Cycling, with traffic-free routes across the city and the chance to ride the same Olympic track as the medallists.
Manchester is the home of British Cycling, and the sport is woven into the city. The crown jewel is the National Cycling Centre velodrome in Clayton, the most successful Olympic track in the world – and, crucially, one you can book a taster session on, riding the steeply banked 250-metre boards on a hire bike under instruction. The same site has an indoor BMX arena and adjoining mountain-bike trails, making it a full cycling campus in east Manchester.
For everyday riding, the city has a growing network of traffic-free routes. The Fallowfield Loop is a former railway line turned green corridor running across south Manchester, the Mersey Valley and canal towpaths offer long flat rides, and the Bee Network active-travel programme continues to add protected cycle lanes. Road cyclists head out toward the Cheshire lanes and the Peak District edge for hills, and the city has a strong club scene catering for everyone from sportive riders to racers.
Whether you want to commute, ride socially, race on the road, or try the track where Olympians train, Manchester is one of the best-set-up cycling cities in the country. Start with a traffic-free route or a club’s beginner ride, and consider a velodrome taster for a genuinely unforgettable first experience of track cycling.