Praise for providing a ‘home from home’ for cycling elite

Team bosses at British Cycling have praised serviced apartments provider The Stay Company for providing the “perfect base” for its athletes.

Last year, the 140-strong team took up a seven-month residency at Derby Arena’s velodrome when the National Cycling Centre in Manchester closed for refurbishment.

And during that time, many of its athletes lived in accommodation in Derby provided by The Stay Company.

But since the Manchester venue reopened, British Cycling has said it is keen to carry on using Derby Arena – strengthening an already solid partnership with the accommodation provider.

The Stay Company, which has its headquarters and flagship accommodation in Friar Gate, provides contemporary apartments, offering spacious and flexible accommodation for clients looking for extended stays.

Tom Stanton, head of performance pathways at the Great Britain Cycling Team, said he had been impressed with Derby and was keen to continue its relationship with the city.

He said: “Moving out of the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, and training at Derby Arena was quite straightforward – but finding decent accommodation for all this time could have been difficult.

“At the forefront of my mind was the real need to find something decent for my cyclists when we had to move out of Manchester. I didn’t want them living away from home and not feeling happy with their surroundings.”

Tom said working with Derby Arena and The Stay Company, has been a rewarding partnership – and he has announced plans to continue training in the city.

He said: “Derby Arena, with its 250-metre velodrome track, was a perfect solution while the National Cycling Centre closed for refurbishment.

“But then I had to find somewhere for the team to live and I assumed this was going to be extremely tricky.

“I thought that what I wanted didn’t exist – until I found The Stay Company. They won’t be getting rid of us all that soon now.”

Dan Wilkinson, director of The Stay Company, said: “The partnership with British Cycling promotes Derby as a destination, flags the city for its state-of-the-art sporting facilities and encourages outside investment.

“I am extremely proud of the partnership we’ve had with British Cycling, and it was a real pleasure to offer the team a range of our serviced apartments across the city.

“British Cycling chose us when they relocated to Derby. At one point, we had around 30 members of the squad staying with us and I’m glad that they enjoyed themselves.

“Derby is such a creative and wonderful city, and visitors deserve the very best when they come and stay here.”