To the unsuspecting eye, Burbage Road is little different to any other pleasant suburban street in south-east London. And at first glance, the sports field that runs behind the genteel Victorian houses does little to alter that impression. Except that this is no ordinary sports field. In fact, it is the one remaining legacy of Britain's 1948 Olympics: the Herne Hill velodrome. Sixty years on, there's little to show for London's last spell in the Olympic limelight but a few shabby huts beside a sloping concrete track. The grassland in the middle is unkempt, the paint on the buildings is peeling and pigeons fly shamelessly in and out of smashed windows. For all that, for cyclists in the know it's a hidden gem - a rare chance to pursue their hobby away from the hectoring bumpers and horns of road traffic and experience just a little of the adrenalin rush that Britain's Olympians will be enjoying in today's team sprint final.
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