IPOH, Jan 8 — The sight of speeding cyclists has returned to Ipoh’s Velodrome Rakyat, heralding a new dawn for the famous track.

For the first time since it was shut down in 2013, the track was used yesterday by the Perak cycling team as part of their training and preparations for September’s Sukma Games.

Perak Cycling Association president and Malaysian National Cycling Federation vice-president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill told Malay Mail that the venue was around 97 per cent completed, with the track fully done.

"It’s a new track, so our cyclists will need some time to get used to it. But their feedback was very positive.” he told Malay Mail when contacted.

"Most of the work is done, and there is only some minor cosmetic work to be finished.”

"For the time being, it will be used for our state team’s training. But we are open to hosting tournaments in the future, before the coming Sukma games,” he added.

The velodrome was built in 1986 with donations from the public. At the time, Amarjit’s father, Tan Sri Darshan Singh, was PCA president, and played an instrumental role in the project.

It has hosted numerous national, regional and international competitions such as the SEA Games as well as the Asian and World Cycling Championships

However, it fell into disrepair over the years and it was closed over safety concerns in 2013.

In 2016, the Youth and Sports Ministry allocated RM11 million to refurbish the timber track.

For Amarjit, the sight of cyclists hurtling around the track symbolised the realisation of a long-held dream.

"In 2013, the track was totally unusable, and I’m delighted that the track is finally back to life again,” he said.

"I’m incredibly grateful to the Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the ministry, and the state government for making this project a success,” he said.

"And of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without the Malay Mail, who highlighted this issue and helped get the ball rolling.”

Amarjit also captured the proud moment on his Instagram account on Sunday, with the caption:

"Feeling delighted to finally see the Velodrome Rakyat being used today by the Perak Cycling Team for training and in preparation for #sukma18. Happy with the enthusiasm shown by our athletes and the strong dedication from Perak Coach @sham_hmz and @mailjamian to bring the PCT to the next level. Syabas and keep it up”

His post was also shared on Twitter by Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.