Ordrup velodrome

About

The Ordrup Velodrome or Ordrupbanen was a cycling arena in Ordrup near Copenhagen, Denmark. The track was built on Ejgaarden's land in the Gentofte Municipality in 1888 and was closed in 2000. It hosted the world track cycling championships for a record of nine times: in 1896, 1903, 1909, 1914, 1921, 1931, 1949, and 1956. The Ordrup Velodrome had its heyday from about 1935 to 1955, with Danish world stars such as Thorvald Ellegaard and Willy Falck Hansen repeatedly drawing full houses to the velodrome. For cyclists, competing at Ordrup was desirable because of its large number of spectators, good conditions, large prize money, and reputation for having frequent, compatative cycling races. During that era, spectators hung on the roofs around the track, where up to 16,000 spectators could be seen. After the war, it was riders such as Kay Werner and Palle Lykke who attracted big crowds.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.