Community pumped for new bike track

A brand new ‘pump track’ has been built at the community run Van Road Trails bike facility in Caerphilly, supported by funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Van Road Trails is Wales’s largest free-to-use community dirt jump bike facility. It is located at Coed Parc-Y-Van and is looked after by volunteers who also run a regular club night on Wednesday evenings.

The volunteer team received funding towards the new track from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office in 2018 but poor weather conditions and the pandemic caused significant delays to the work.

James Davies, one of the volunteers behind the project, said: “We are delighted that the new track is finally ready and available for riders to use, and we are grateful to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office for the funding contribution which has made this possible.

“We have a fantastic community here where riders of all ages and abilities can come together to ride and support each other. We would love to see anyone interested in getting involved in the sport at our Wednesday evening club nights where they can speak to other riders and see what it’s all about.”

The new all-weather track is open all year round and is suitable for riders of all abilities.

Mountain biker Rhys Jones said: “The new track is great, and everyone can ride it. You can’t really ride the other tracks in winter or if the weather is bad because they can get damaged but this gives us somewhere to ride all year.”

The project received money from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s community fund which is used to fund projects that support children and young people who may be at risk of becoming involved with crime and antisocial behaviour.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Cuthbert said: “We often receive complaints about young people riding bikes in town centres or other areas where they could cause a hazard to pedestrians, or a risk to farming and wildlife.

“The Van Road Trails are free to use and give riders somewhere they can go and ride safely. I am sure that the new track will be well used by the community and hope it will help to inspire young people to get out into the countryside and have fun.”

More information is available on the Van Road Trails website.