Velodrome Sofia

Welcome to the green heart of the Bulgarian capital. We are standing deep within the sprawling canopy of Borisova Gradina, Sofia's oldest and most renowned park. …

Stepping through the wide entryways and emerging onto the infield, the first thing that strikes you is the track itself. The concrete cycling oval dominates the visual field. …

Turning our backs to the track, we face the towering spectator tribunes that ring the outer edge of the Velodrome. These massive concrete bleachers were designed to hold thousands of passionate sports fans. …

Descending from the graffiti-covered stands, we find ourselves in the vast, flat infield of the Velodrome. In standard cycling tracks, the infield is the bustling nerve center of the event. …

We conclude our exploration of the Velodrome standing beneath the towering Southern Curve. This is the steepest and most dramatic section of the track, where the architectural ambition of the stadium's designers is most vividly…

As we exit the imposing concrete bowl of the Sofia Velodrome and return to the dappled sunlight of Borisova Gradina, the quietness of the park quickly reasserts itself. The stark brutalism we just witnessed fades behind a curtain…