On your bike! The final arena for Rio2016 has been unveiled

Now that the final sports arena, the Olympic Velodrome, has been unveiled ahead of the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it’s all getting very exciting  The 5,000 seat indoor cycling venue is located in Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca, and it will stage all of the Olympic and Paralympic track cycling competitions.

A cyclist trains at the newly delivered Olympic Velodrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Image: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Rio mayor, Eduardo Paes, unveiled the Velodrome at a special inauguration ceremony this week, during which 30 cyclists participated in a test run of the track. It is the most modern cycling venue in Brazil with a track that is weather, heat and moisture resistant, made of Siberian pine imported from Germany. The battle for Olympic medals will take place in 32 venues in Rio, plus five football co-host cities,  and the Velodrome is the last of these arenas to be unveiled.

Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Image: Davide Greco

The first Olympic cycling event at the Velodrome will take place on 11 August, six days after the opening ceremony on 5 August in the Maracanã Stadium. Following the Rio2016 Games, the Velodrome will be converted into a multi-use sports training centre for high performance athletes, and taekwondo, fencing, boxing, and weightlifting will also take place there.