A GROUP of lucky youngsters got to experience Hadleigh’s new mountain bike track before it opens to the public.

The world-class sporting facility, which played host to the Olympics, is due to be officially unveiled on Wednesday.

Students from local schools, including South Essex College, were handpicked to take part in special coaching sessions at the venue, which has undergone a £6.8million makeover.

The preview event took place as the British Army hosted their own Inter-Unit Mountain Bike Cross Country Series at Hadleigh Park, which acted as an opportunity to test the course.

Essex County Council, Active Essex and Hadleigh Mountain Bike Club, which runs the track at Hadleigh Country Park, previously handed out 200 golden tickets to give mountain bike enthusiasts exclusive access to the track over the Easter weekend.

The course, which was created for the London 2012 Games, now has professional and beginner tracks to make it accessible for cyclists of all ages and abilities.

Contractors have also created 18km of new trails through the park to try to improve access for walkers, runners and horse riders.

A new building, at Sayers Farm, includes ranger facilities, a bike hire shop, visitor centre, changing rooms and cafe, run by the Salvation Army.

Gary Sullivan, chairman of Active Essex, said: “The past few years has seen us transform this Olympic venue into a world-class sporting facility.

“Our aim in redeveloping Hadleigh Park was to inspire and encourage generations to come, to be excited about sport, as well as installing the Olympic and Paralympic values in all.

“The Olympic mountain bike course has been retained and developed with a new and wider network of trails and paths, catering for a range of users and making them accessible for all.”

Hadleigh Park will be open from 8am until 5pm daily.