Vélodrome Georges Préveral

On your left, hidden behind the trees, you can catch a glimpse of a velodrome that seems almost forgotten within this immense park. You could easily walk past it without ever realizing that it is a cycling track. In fact, it has earned the nickname the “invisible velodrome.”It stands on the island you are currently crossing as you make your way to another part of the park. Inaugurated on May 27, 1894, during the Lyon Universal, International, and Colonial Exhibition, it is one of the few municipal velodromes built in France at that time. Its origins date back to the 1890s, when Lyon’s cycling clubs called for a dedicated track for this rapidly growing new sport. Despite criticism from those who feared it would disturb the park’s peaceful atmosphere, the city approved the project and entrusted its construction to architects G. Bouilhères and F. Teysseire. When it first opened, the track measured 333.33 meters (1,094 feet) in length, was 7 meters (23 feet) wide, and featured a spectacular banking angle of up to 43 degrees. It could accommodate nearly 3,000 spectators. After several decades of use, it underwent a complete renovation in the 1930s: the track became oval-shaped, and four statues were added to decorate the enclosure, including Chrysomallos, a winged ram from Greek mythology, and Philippidès, the messenger of Marathon. The velodrome reached its peak in 1989, when it hosted the World Track Cycling Championships. Several French riders made their mark there, including Jeannie Longo, who won two gold medals. Since 2006, it has carried the name Georges-Préveral, after the former Lyon cycling champion and founder of the Sprinter Club Croix-Rousse Caluire. Today, the track is mainly used by the Lyon Sprint Evolution club, which trains new riders and keeps the tradition of track cycling alive in Lyon.