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
The Minnesota Vikings in the 1970s: A Trip Down Memory Lane
The Vikings began the 1970 season by getting a small measure of revenge for
The Los Angeles Rams in the 1970s: A Trip Down Memory Lane
The 1970 Rams were 8–3–1 going into week thirteen, but they needed to win
The Washington Redskins in the 1970s: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Right around this time last year, I wrote an article on the top eight
NFL’s Youngest Ever Player Might Surprise You!
From a personal standpoint, I truly love the game of football…and to write about
The History of the Preakness Stakes: Where It All Began
This May 17, 2025, the Preakness Stakes will draw horse racing fans worldwide for
How Ohio Shaped The NFL: From The Birthplace To Rich Pro Football History
While today the great state of Ohio’s professional football teams are seen as something
NBA Player Heated Rivalries: Kevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan
Some heated rivalries between players can simply be a case of bad blood that
Looking Back at the First Great Play of the 1970s: Tom Dempsey’s Epic Field Goal
The decade of the 1970s had numerous great plays in the NFL. Now this