COLNE’S Olympic hero, Steven Burke, has announced he will give training sessions when a new cycle track named after him opens.

Steven, who won gold in the team pursuit at the London Olympics, was in town for the ceremonial start to work on the track at Swinden Playing Fields, in Nelson.

The £300,000 project will create a closed road circuit around the playing fields, and the track should open in March.

Further work on a pavilion, extra lighting, and a car park, should be finished by August.

Steven said: “The Hub will be fantastic for Pendle and for getting boys and girls into cycling.

“It’s a great sport that will stay with them for life,”

“I’ve no doubt the closed road circuit will help in my preparations for Rio Olympics in 2016.

“But more importantly it will get youngsters out on the closed road circuit and hopefully give them them same opportunities as me.”

Steven recently signed with the HARIBO Beacon team and is racing on the track for them this season, as his preparations for the Rio games gather pace.

Once the track has opened, he is set to help out with the occasional training session.

Ian Drake, British Cycling’s chief executive, said: “British Cycling is very pleased to partner with Pendle Council and other funders to build this fantastic new cycling facility. The new circuit will allow many more young people in the North West to participate in cycling and help develop the sport in the region even further.”

Also present at the start of the work was East Lancashire-based cyclist Alan Ramsbottom, who came 14th in the Tour de France in 1962, and Peter Boast, from Cycle Sport Pendle, who will be responsible for running the circuit.