Just over a year ago we got wind of the new Performance Centre which Boardman Bikes was working on, in early planning stages at that time. Intended to be both a new R&D headquarters for the bike company built around a cyling-specific wind tunnel, but also a testing center for regular cyclists, Boardman tells us they’ve received planning permission for construction and can now share where it will be located. The Valley Evesham, a retail park in Worcestershire, will play host for the new test center, putting it in the heart of England, an hour south of Birmingham and two hours northwest of London, with easy access by rail & car. The aim has always been to make advanced testing more accessible to the regular cyclist, so it’s good to see the project moving forward. More info, including its expected opening date after the break…
Combining a new head office for Boardman with their own concept store and café, the focus of the Performance Centre will be its own wind tunnel designed for cyclists, and a full suite of rider and bike testing setups. The project has been near and dear to Chris Boardman himself, who spoke with us passionately about improving access to wind tunnel and physiological testing for competitive and even recreational cyclists. He spent years traveling around Europe to try to optimize his fit and movement on the bike, and told stories of the expense and complication of doing so in a number of different places, where cycling was often solved as an afterthought.
Boardman’s vision for the Performance Center is that every budding cyclist or triathlete, even the amateur rider, can have access to the top-level of aerodynamics and cycling technique testing as would the world’s best pro cyclists, now at an affordable price. The unique level of customer service that the Performance Center aims to provide hopes to set itself apart, as even amateur cyclists will be able to reap the benefits of real detailed testing.
Work begin soon on the new facility, with groundbreaking this spring and an anticipated opening scheduled for “Winter 2017”. That’s a bit later than the last estimate we had heard, but will surely be welcome by cyclists throughout the UK & Europe who should have more affordable access to some wind tunnel time in the relatively near future.
