July 1, 1893 – It was a beautiful day for a bike ride! At least in San Francisco where on this day they opened the first American wooden bicycle race track. Velodrome is the proper name of the venues that started popping up all over the world in the late 19th and early twentieth century as people racing bikes around a wooden oval track was all the rage.
According to Wikipedia, the first such cycling stadium was built in 1877, the Preston Park Velodrome in Brighton, United Kingdom, constructed by the British Army. Some of these sites after that were purpose-built just for cycling, and others were built as part of facilities for other sports; many were built around athletics tracks or other grounds and any banking was shallow.
We have talked about football fields being placed in the infield of these velodromes on many of football history podcasts on SHN.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
NFL All-Time Coaching Wins: A Top 5 Countdown
It’s NFL trivia time! Who holds the coveted title of the winningest coach in
1976 Olympics Revisited (Weightlifting Medal Winners)
The 1976 Olympics were in Montreal, and the weightlifting started on July 18 and
Three Racing Legends who have achieved 100 Formula One Podiums
After seven decades of Formula One racing, there have been more than a thousand
Exploring the Years of Ultimate Futility (1970s NFL)
There were four years where pro football fans got to witness several examples of
The History of the Olympic Games: From Ancient Greece to the Modern Era
The Olympic Games are one of the most significant sporting events in the world,
The History Of Sports Explained
The dictionary definition of sport, according to Oxford Languages is ‘an activity involving physical
Historic Rivalries: Yankees vs. Red Sox Showdowns
The storied rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox extends
The 1977 Denver Broncos and The “Orange Crush Defense”
Whenever football fans talk about great teams of the past that failed in their