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
A Brief History of the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL For Beginners
The Raiders are one of the 32 teams that make up the National Football
1970 Detroit Lions (First Playoff Game Since 1957 Championship)
The Detroit Lions won the NFL Championship in 1935, defeating the NY Giants 26–7,
The “Fight of the Century” (Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali)
I’ll never forget the night of March 8, 1971. It was one of the
Super Bowl XLIX (New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XLIX, held on February 1, 2015, between the three-time
Adjusting to the NFL Rule Changes in 1978
In 1978, a bunch of new rules geared to improve the passing game showed
Charlie Bidwill’s First Love (Chicago Bluebirds)
It was truly a united front with the involvement of all of the gridiron
Help Select The “All-Time Greatest NBA Centers To Wear Jersey #5”
Looking at sports history and reminiscing about legendary players from different eras is a
Help Select The “All-Time Greatest NBA Forwards To Wear Jersey #5”
Looking at sports history and reminiscing about legendary players from different eras is a