A MULTI-MILLION-POUND cycling performance centre has been forced to close less than two years after opening.

Boardman Performance Centre based at The Valley in Evesham announced the state-of-the-art facilities would remain closed for good as part of several closures by owners Halfords.

The centre, which offers cycle testing and bike fitting and had the UK’s first dedicated cycling wind tunnel, was threatened with closure in March after owners Halfords announced it would be closing its specialist cycling stores including the facilities in Evesham.

The centre confirmed it would be closing in a statement on its Facebook page yesterday (April 27).

The performance centre was the idea of Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Chris Boardman in May 2018 in collaboration with Halfords and was the first of its kind in the country.

The custom-built wind tunnel allowed cyclists of all abilities to test aerodynamics and performance.

The statement on the centre's Facebook page said: “Last month Halfords launched a strategic review to consider the future of their performance cycling business of which the performance centre's formed a central part.

“This review has now concluded, and the difficult decision has been made to close the performance centre with immediate effect.

“On behalf of our team, we would like to thank you for the support we have received since opening.

“In the last two years, we have had the pleasure of welcoming customers from every part of the cycling world, from Olympic athletes to customers buying their first bike.

“To be the first to do anything is always a challenge, and for a ground-breaking project like the performance centre, even more so.

“It remains our hope that an operator can be secured for the centre we all love.”