Dave Brailsford returns to North Wales to open new track in memory of fallen Rhyl cyclists

Dave Brailsford, performance director at British Cycling and team principal of Team Sky, has opened a new £1.5 million cycle track in Rhyl, Denbighshire, North Wales, in memory of four local cyclists killed while out on a training ride in January 2006.

The four riders, Maurice Broadbent, aged 61, Dave Horrocks, 55, Wayne Wilkes, 42 and 14-year-old Thomas Harland, died after a car skidded across an icy road on the A456 near Abergele.

Money for the new facility was provided by the Rhyl Cycling Club Memorial Fund, together with funding from the Welsh Assembly Government, Denbighshire County Council, the Foundation for Sport and the Arts and Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN).

Brailsford, who was brought up in the neighbouring county of Gwynedd, said: "It's always great to see new cycling facilities,” reports the BBC.

"For me anything that develops cycling in Wales and particularly north Wales is a great thing and these facilities are fantastic.

"You could not thank the people that have been involved in this project enough for what they have done for cycling in north Wales."

The new facility, called Marsh Tracks, will be operated by by Glan Morfa Cycling Association. It includes a 1.3m road circuit, BMX track, and a clubhouse with changing and shower facilities and a meeting room. There is also an area from which spectators can watch the riders, as well as a campsite.

The facility is being made available to tourists, schools and the broader community. Operations director Justin Lewis said that the facility’s main goal was to enable young people, and especially those from disadvantage areas, to take part in sporting activities at a minimal cost.

The track, which is the only such facility in North Wales, will also be used by Rhyl Cycling Club each Tuesday evening and there will also be regular racing and training sessions on it at other times during the week.