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

Point Guard Candidates: The All-Time 0 & 00 Team
Looking at sports history and reminiscing about legendary players from different eras is a

Original Chicago Bulls Threaten Bears: 1926
Some might describe it as a betrayal… Others might simply consider it as a

Remembering the 1990s Chicago Bulls Dynasty
The 2022/23 NBA season is heating up nicely, and there is one team that

3 Surprising Ways Tech Transforms Golf Training
From wooden-shaft clubs to cloud-connected launch monitors, golfers have always chased better ways to

Premium Online Live Casino Game Shows Generate Record Revenue
Online live game shows provide entertainment experiences that combine real-time dealer interaction with transparent

A Look Back At MLB Teams With 100 Wins In A Season
In this article, we’ll go over some MLB history and look at which teams have

Super Bowl XLV (Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XLV, which was held on February 6, 2011, at

Sea of Hands Playoff Game – When You Need A Scoring Drive…..
During the 1970s, there were many men who played the position of quarterback in