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
Swinging A’s (The Oakland Athletics of the 1970s)
Just how good were the Oakland Athletics from 1971-to-1975? They were good enough to
Sports History On This Day: April 18
April 18, 1942 – It was a miraculous comeback in the Stanley Cup Finals! The
Sports History On This Day: April 17
April 17, 1911 – Clarence DeMar won his first Boston Marathon race. The victory was run at
Sports History On This Day: April 16
April 16, 1912 – The Pittsburgh Pirates turned in a fielding rarity of a 5-3-7
Good Friday 1972 (Bloody ‘Bedlam’ at the Civic Centre
Over the years, there have been many instances in hockey arenas in which a
Sports History On This Day: April 15
April 15, 1911 – 4 Ks in one inning? We all know that aside is
Super Bowl XXXIV (Rams vs. Titans): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXXIV, which was held on January 30, 2000, at
Sports History On This Day: April 14
April 14, 1969 – A historic day indeed as the first Major league baseball game