June 04, 2000
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Every Friday night up at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, they feature an evening's worth of top-level amateur racing. We drove up last Friday through intermittent thunder storms to attend the International Sprint Competition.
The Lehigh Valley Velodrome is a 333 meter banked track built specifically for racing bicycles. Racers ride single-speed bikes with no brakes around the steep banked corners at speeds in excess of 40mph. Friday's feature was a series of two lap sprint competitions between some of the best riders in the world. After enjoying a series of demonstration races, semifinals, and preliminary events, the big race of the evening was a one-on-one match between the three-time World Champion US rider and the two-time World Champion Australian rider. From our spectating position along the boards on turn four, we watched as the two racers sprinted past us, grunting and straining, wheel to wheel to a photo finish. After careful analysis of the digital images, the Australian was declared the winner. Today was the annual USPRO Cycling Championships in Philadelphia. We headed down this morning with the dogs and a backpack full of picnic supplies to watch the race in Fairmont Park. We met a friend on Lemon Hill, spread out our blanket, and watched as the professional cyclists raced up the hill lap after lap. As the speeding peleton flew past, you could hear the buzz of the gears and feel the breeze picked up by the mass of riders. As is tradition with the Philadelphia race, we made it home just in time to catch the final few minutes of the race on TV. A seven man breakaway cruised the final few laps a minute ahead of the main group of riders. Included in the pack were American favorites Fred Rodriguez and George Hincapie. A late attack, however, by Australian Henk Vogel foiled the Americans' attempts and in the end, the Australian was declared the winner. The joy of bicycle racing is being able, as a spectator, to step right up to the edge of the action. You can feel the power and the effort put out by the riders as they race past. Unlike most modern spectator sports, you're not hidden behind barricades and shuffled into awkward, uncomfortable stands. When you attend a bicycle race, you are simply there. Even if the Australian wins. |
