Matt Maher: Velodrome could be perfect Commonwealth Games legacy

The Games also came in under budget, to the tune of around £60million to be precise. Some already have an idea of where a portion of the money, which will be spent on sport and culture projects across the region, should be invested.

“Let’s hope some of this goes into the West Midlands velodrome project,” Brian Cookson, former head of cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, tweeted in response to the news.

“A badly-needed facility in a region with a great history in cycling. Hopefully British Cycling and Sport England will support.”

Cookson has been a long-time supporter of the campaign to build a velodrome, which as regular readers of this space will now began in 2017 when it emerged no new facility was planned for Birmingham, with the track cycling events instead taking place more than 100 miles away at London’s Lee Valley.

Its focus has long switched to building a track as a legacy to the Games and the campaign team have been methodical in their work, speaking to regional stakeholders including several councils and universities in order to strengthen their case.

A significant breakthrough came early last year when West Midlands mayor Andy Street agreed to look into the business case as part of his re-election manifesto.

The snag is Street has been waiting for the publication of a technical review, commissioned by British Cycling, into the building of low-cost velodromes. Campaigners believe it will support their claim an indoor facility, which could cater for other sports as well as cycling, could be constructed for as little as £5m.

Yet despite being assured on several occasions publication was imminent, the review remains nowhere to be seen.

That seems peculiar and more than a little frustrating considering the work campaigners, many of whom are cycling volunteers and the lifeblood of the sport, have put in. If the story so far has taught us anything, it is they are not the type to give up easily.