London 2012 Olympic mountain bike track opens to public Published duration 29 April 2015

image copyright Getty Images image caption The London 2012 mountain bike track overlooks the Thames estuary near Southend

The Olympic mountain biking track has opened to the public.

The site at Hadleigh Park in south Essex was built for the London 2012 Games.

During the past two-and-a-half years it has been adapted for use by the general public and has graded routes and a visitor centre.

Rob Anderson, the general manager, said he wanted people to come and enjoy the facility, which received nearly £5m from Essex County Council.

"The main commitment for us was to provide a sustainable legacy," he said. "We could have opened the Olympic course for the very elite but what we wanted to do was to inspire a generation and get people into cycling.

"We want it to be world class. We want it to be a place people can be proud of."

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