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
1970s Cincinnati Reds – “The Big Red Machine”
Their nickname, “Big Red Machine,” was no exaggeration. After winning the National League pennant
Sports History On This Day: June 14
June 14, 1934 – It was a BIG night on the fight card at Madison
Sports History On This Day: June 13
June 13, 1890 – An American won the US National Championship Women’s Tennis at the
The Big Muddies: Two of the Muddiest Games in NFL Playoff History
The NFL saw two of its muddiest playoff games of all time during the
Sports History On This Day: June 12
June 12, 1955 – Tragedy occurred at one of the racing world’s greatest spectacles, the
Sports History On This Day: June 11
June 11, 1903 – It was a matter of sibling rivalry, well sort of. At
Sports History On This Day: June 10
June 10, 1944 – The youngest player in MLB history makes his debut. Relief pitcher
Super Bowl XXXVI (Rams vs. Patriots): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXXVI, which was held on February 3, 2002, at