CYCLISTS will find out if it is the end of the road for a major cycle track in Hampshire when the results of a £1.4 million lottery bid are announced on Saturday.

If a city council bid for funds to revamp Southampton sports centre is successful users of the city's only cycle track fear they will be forced out.

Earlier this year Southampton's leisure chiefs announced plans to expand the centre's athletics track from six to eight lanes after sporting star Iwan Thomas threatened to quit the city because of the poor state of training facilities.

But cyclists are angry that the upgrade will be at the expense of their 60-year-old track, for which no alternative arrangements have been made.

Glenn Longland, who has run the track league for eight years, said: "I've been training for 29 years and started out on that track so it means a lot to me.

"If the track does disappear it could end up like the city ice rink or the swimming pool and not be seen for years."

Mr Longland added: "If it goes there will be nowhere for people to ride - you can't train at 40mph down a public road."

Council recreation manager Chris Jane would not comment on the outcome of the bid in advance of Saturday's announcement.

He said: "No decision has been made on destroying the track.

"First of all we don't know the results of the lottery bid so perhaps we should look at this after Saturday."

Chairman of the sports centre users' consultative group Doug Perry said: "I am not happy losing any sporting facilities and I would be bitter if I found out that a sport I was interested in was threatened.

"But we could always put a bid in for a new cycle track next year."

The result of the lottery bid will be announced at the sports centre itself on Saturday morning.

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