WORK on starting the construction of the 1.6km outdoor cycle circuit which will be built on land between Lochgelly High School and Lochore Meadows Country Park, will offer cycling opportunities in a traffic free environment to people of all ages and abilities.

Opening in early 2018, the facility will ensure clubs, groups and events have a top class facility to develop riders and run a wide range of community activities.

Cllr Judy Hamilton, Convener of the Council’s Community & Housing Services Committee explained: “We are committed to meeting the growing demand to develop cycling in Fife and this is one of the ways in which we are doing just that.

"The project has gained national attention already from the country’s strong cycling community and Fife Cycle Park will be able to attract regional, Scottish and British Championship events.

“It’s about so much more than delivering something new for existing cyclists though. There are still lots of people unable to access or return to cycling as an activity for sport, leisure or utility. The programmes at Fife Cycle Park will help to break down the main barriers to cycling by offering a range of bikes and activities for every ability and age of the local population enabling them to develop their skills and confidence."

“Children need to learn to ride a bike. This facility will offer fun lessons from balance bikes for toddlers to school children developing their skills. With most nurseries now delivering balance bike projects, this is the natural home for the next steps".

Cllr Linda Erskine, convener of the Cowdenbeath Area Committee is keen to emphasis the local opportunities that the facility will bring.

She added: “This circuit will put Lochgelly at the forefront of cycling in Scotland and give us the chance to develop a culture of cycling as a normal activity for residents in the area and across Fife.

“Coupled with the work to develop a climbing facility in Lochgelly and the investment in the mountain bike trails at Lochore Meadows, our local area will be in a strong position to promote itself as a destination venue for cycling and other leisure pursuits.

"Lochore Meadows Country Park, which is also home to Fife’s Outdoor Education Centre, is already Fife’s most visited outdoor attraction and I look forward to us building on that further and attracting more visitors from across Scotland.”

The Fife Cycle Park has secured funding contributions from sportscotland and the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland said: “sportscotland is delighted to work in partnership with Fife Council and Scottish Cycling to support this terrific facility. It brings together a number of initiatives for cycling and the local community, and is a great example of the world-class sporting system that we are developing in Scotland.

“Located next to the High School and adjacent to Lochore Meadows, the setting is ideal as it links to the existing cycling network and other community facilities. That’s why we were delighted to invest £300,000 in this project, which we believe will have a significant role to play in providing more and better sporting and physical activity opportunities, both locally and nationally.”

National governing bodies were quick to welcome the major milestone in the project too.

The circuit will be a tarmac road, built to ‘A Road’ standard that allows for a full range of cycling activities to take place in a traffic free environment all year round.

The total distance of the road will be around 1.6km; offering various circuit layout options within this of 1.6km, 1km, 500m and 250m.

Customers will be able to choose from a variety of circuit configurations with several groups or sessions using the facility at the same time.

The overall cost of the project is £2.4m. Fife Council has secured grant funding of £300,000 from sportscotland and £300,000 from the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.

Our picture shows Provost of Fife Jim Leishman and Cllr Judy Hamilton, Convener of the Council’s Community & Housing Services Committee, cut the first sod on the site of Fife Cycle Park alongside Co-Leaders of Fife Council, David Alexander and David Ross, and Cllr Linda Erskine, convener of the Cowdenbeath Area Committee. Community support for the project has been strong and a range of supporters also attended including school pupils, cycle club members, local Police Officers, local community members and cyclists.