Oh look, lots of tennis courts and a 5-a-side pitch taking up cycle course space. Because I'm sure most neighborhoods struggle for 5-a-side pitches. Grrrrr...

The Beastway racing series was one of, if not the, most accessible mtb racing series anywhere - I can't think of another capital city anywhere in the world where you can ride to a mtb race after work.

Failure to establish a mountain biking legacy in the Olympic development plan is a significant and highly regretable oversight. Especially in a city where cycling is being pushed hard as a meaningful transport alternative.

Mmmm, smell the property developers' cash everyone!
No doubt there'll be some guff about the money being pumped into the grass roots of the sport for the benefit of all, blah blah...

I'm sorry, I thought British Cycling were supposed to stand up for the sport; not just road, track and CX but mountainbiking too? Or was a fat backhander to relinquish any claim over Eastway too good an opportunity to pass up?

Doubtless I'm speaking out of turn and with no evidence to back my claim, but it's my experience that vested interests and corruption don't tend to leave a trail of hard, irrefutable evidence.


Rant over, and breathe...
Thanks for listening. It's been emotional.

I have to say the whole London Olympics thing makes me shudder. £9bn guesstimate to complete, I dread to think what the real cost will be! "We" couldn't even get Wembley built to budget and timescale (I believe that some sort of opening ceremony has been put off there yet again). Is 2012 going to be another demonstration to the world of Britains decline?

I never attended Eastway being a Midlands man, but I bought Geoff Waugh's book of photos as to me Eastway has always been part of UK biking and I have to admit I was gutted when "we" were robbed of it, always fairly certain that we'd never regain this valuable asset. In the current political climate I doubt anything will be done to address this issue.

I was a Beastway regular when I lived in London and to be honest in all my years racing there hasn't been another race series to touch it in terms of accessibility or atmosphere. As usual the politicians are more interested in making lots of money rather than actually doing anything for the good of the community.

Well as a start for something to do about it, why not sign the on-line petition: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/MTB-Velopark

arrgggh

more online petitions

LOL, I had expected a link to appear sooner than this....

Here's another:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Urgent Need To Introduce Petition-Overload Stress Counselling For Kato Campaign

;)

LOL @ sprokitt

Having failed to get round to it before, I made sure I raced the last Beastway last year. I wish I'd thought of it sooner as it was a blinding course and the atmosphere was wonderful.

As a tax payer and resident of Greenwich, I'm acutely aware of the cost of the Olympics. I could live with it if I felt the legacy was worth it, but news such as this goes to reinforce the rapidly rising opinion that the event will be an expensive white elephant.