Every piece of reclaimed timber has a story. Few, however, can say they helped inspire Olympic champions.
Back in 2018, Touch Wood was given the unique opportunity to rescue part of one of Britain’s most iconic sporting venues – the famous wooden track from Manchester’s National Cycling Centre, better known as the Manchester Velodrome.
Known around the world as British Cycling’s “medal factory”, the Velodrome has been at the heart of Britain’s remarkable cycling success since it opened in 1994. The 250-metre track has played host to world records, Olympic champions and countless international competitions, helping establish Manchester as the home of British Cycling.
The track itself is an incredible feat of engineering. Built from around 50,000 metres of carefully selected Siberian spruce, every piece of wood is precisely laid to create the smooth, high-speed surface that has become renowned among cyclists worldwide. Because of the intense daily use by elite athletes and the public alike, the surface has to be replaced periodically to maintain world-class racing conditions.
The original 1994 track was replaced in 2007, before that second track was itself replaced in 2018.
It was that second track that found a new home with Touch Wood, part of the EMERGE Collective, based in the heart of East Manchester.
Rescuing a Piece of Sporting History
When the old track was removed in 2018, we were invited to collect as much of the timber as possible before it was discarded.
It was no small undertaking.
The enormous quantity of timber required additional storage, and thanks to the support of Manchester City Council, who allowed us to use an extra warehouse unit next to our home on New Smithfield Market, we were able to rescue a significant amount of this remarkable material.
Every piece told a story.
Between 2007 and 2018, this very timber carried the wheels of some of Britain’s greatest ever cyclists. Sir Chris Hoy, Dame Laura Kenny, Sir Jason Kenny, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Dame Sarah Storey, Victoria Pendleton and many more trained and competed on these boards during the most successful era in British Cycling’s history.
The track also hosted the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, where Great Britain thrilled home crowds with a dominant medal-winning performance that helped cement Manchester’s reputation as the home of world cycling.
Rather than allowing this piece of sporting heritage to disappear, we wanted to give it a new future.
More Than Just Timber
News that we had acquired the track quickly spread, particularly within the cycling community.
Cyclists from across the country contacted us asking whether they could own a piece of the famous Velodrome.
Over the years we’ve transformed sections of the track into bespoke dining tables, desks and furniture, allowing people to own a genuine piece of British sporting history.
Among the most special commissions was creating a dining table for Olympic legends Dame Laura Kenny and Sir Jason Kenny, whose extraordinary careers are closely intertwined with Manchester’s Velodrome.
We’ve also created furniture for many other people connected with the cycling world, while the timber has found its way into another important Manchester tradition as the MCR Active Sports Awards trophies, celebrating the city’s sporting achievements using material that helped inspire so many of them.
Preserving the History
Working with the Velodrome timber presents unique challenges. Normally, reclaimed wood is sanded flat before being transformed into furniture. This timber was different.
Sanding would have removed the authentic tyre marks, subtle wear and character left behind by years of elite racing. Those marks are part of its history, and we wanted to preserve them.
Instead, every section has to be assembled with extraordinary precision.
Each piece is individually aligned by hand using clamps to keep the surface perfectly level. It is then glued and ‘secretly nailed’ (a carpentry technique which means the nails are hidden) together using the same construction method as the original Velodrome track itself.
The process demands painstaking attention. Any excess glue has to be removed immediately after each plank was secured because, if it dried, sanding would have been the only way to remove it, taking decades of sporting history with it.
The result is furniture unlike anything else.
Every table still carries the subtle marks of the riders who raced across it. Every surface tells part of Manchester’s sporting story.
Sustainability Meets Sporting Legacy
For us, this project perfectly captures what Touch Wood is all about.
We believe valuable materials deserve a second life, especially those with such remarkable stories to tell.
What was once a world-famous cycling track has become dining tables, boardroom furniture and sport awards that continue to inspire conversation years after the final race was ridden on it.
It’s proof that sustainability doesn’t mean losing history.
Sometimes, it means preserving it for generations to come.
Own a Piece of Cycling History
If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a genuine piece of British cycling history, we’d love to hear from you. Give us a call on 0161 223 8200 or email info@touchwood.org.uk.
PHOTO CREDIT for main image: Peter Hurford. It was taken during a changeover in the Men’s Pursuit featuring the Men’s British Cycling team at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in November 2013 at Manchester Velodrome. The team went on to win the event.