Good cycling press coverage

"TritonRider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Here's a really solid story on the VandeDrome.

masslive.comindex.ssfOpen ↗ l

Dumbass -

Would you mind pasting in? It requires a subscription or registration.

thanks.

"Kurgan Gringioni" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

masslive.comindex.ssfOpen ↗
271.xml

Cycling track moves to 'Hamp

271/1/2003

By FRED CONTRADA Staff writer [email hidden]

NORTHAMPTON - A local cycling club has all the pieces in place to revive a once-popular sport that
started in Massachusetts and was honed in Springfield.

From Our Advertisers

Sitting in a parking lot in South Deerfield are the components for a 170- meter oval wooden track
built for bicycle racing. The Northampton Cycling Club, which bought the track for $1 and trucked it
up from New Jersey, is looking for a place to reassemble it and make it available to professional
racers and the general public.

According to John Frey, a co-founder of the local club, the track is one of about 20 velodromes in
the U.S. The 200-member club hopes it will boost its mission to encourage competitive and
recreational bicycling in the area.

"We're looking to grow the sport in the Pioneer Valley," Frey said.

Still popular in Europe, bicycle racing was developed as a sport in Massachusetts, with Springfield
playing a key role.

According to the Web site for the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, an Ohio track that hosts the Cycling Hall
of Fame, America's first bicycle race took place in Boston in 1878.

The sport began to take off six years later when H.E. Drucker opened a bicycle track inside the
Hampden Park trotting track in Springfield. The track was so well designed that racers were able to
shatter every American and European record during one three-day meet in Springfield. Some 27,000
people attended the event, which put Springfield in the world spotlight, the Web site says.

By the early 1900s, there were more than 100 velodromes in the United States. The sport peaked in
the 1930s, but began to fade as the Great Depression continued.

The Lehigh Valley Velodrome opened for its first full season in 1976.

"It's a world-class facility we're looking to strive towards in the future," Frey said.

The Northampton Cycling Club's track is called the Vandedrome after its builder, Chicago cycler John
VandeVelde. J.D. Bilodeau, another co-founder of the club, said he asked a mutual friend to inquire
about the track, which VandeVelde had stored in New Jersey after moving it around from site to site
in the United States.

"It took a lot of phone calls to get the deal done," Bilodeau said.

The track has a 54-degree pitch at both ends, making it one of the steepest in the country,
according to Bilodeau. The bicycles used for the sport have neither brakes nor gears.

"It's about as simple a bike as you can get," he said.

The club hopes to set up the cypress-wood track at a convenient outdoor location, such as the Three
County Fairground, with an eye toward creating a permanent cycling park. Users would have to obtain
a license from the U.S. Cycling Federation, but Bilodeau said the club hopes to have rental bikes
available to encourage newcomers.

"Chris version 2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

a permanent cycling park. Users would have to obtain a license from the U.S. Cycling Federation,
but Bilodeau said the club hopes to have rental bikes available to encourage newcomers.

Newbies on the Vandedrome.

The local radiologist will be getting some collarbone work.

"TritonRider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Here's a really solid story on the VandeDrome.

masslive.comindex.ssfOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Bill C

Nice photo of J.D. with the story. You can make a donation to help set up/repair the track and
have a board with your name on it. Go to northamptoncyclingclub.orgnorthamptoncyclingclub.orgOpen ↗

The track was first(?) set up at the Del Mar race track north of San Diego. I watched some pretty
fair riders try to set a lap record, including Vic Copeland, who was then in his early 50's, and
Marcelo Arrue. Vic set the record, and Marcelo broke it, as I recall.

They were almost completely horizontal when they sped through the turns.

Big riders like Butch Stinton looked like Gulliver in Lilliput. It was a trip!

Also saw Mark Whitehead crash. He was across the track from where I was sitting, and there were
boards between him and me. He went over the handlebars, apparently did a somersault, and came
up running!

TritonRider said:

Here's a really solid story on the VandeDrome.

masslive.comindex.ssfOpen ↗

Bill C

Quoted message said:

From: Colin Campbell [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

The track was first(?) set up at the Del Mar race track north of San Diego. I watched some pretty
fair riders try to set a lap record, including Vic Copeland, who was then in his early 50's, and
Marcelo Arrue. Vic set the record, and Marcelo broke it, as I recall.

They were almost completely horizontal when they sped through the turns.

Big riders like Butch Stinton looked like Gulliver in Lilliput. It was a trip!

Also saw Mark Whitehead crash. He was across the track from where I was sitting, and there were
boards between him and me. He went over the handlebars, apparently did a somersault, and came
up running!

Cool story, maybe I'll talk to JD about getting some stories together about races, and riders on
the track to use in the promoting the track. Be cool to have a "human" history of the track and
it's tales. Bill C

"Colin Campbell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Also saw Mark Whitehead crash. He was across the track from where I was sitting, and there were
boards between him and me. He went over the handlebars, apparently did a somersault, and came up
running!

Funny you should say that...

google.comgroupsOpen ↗
en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&as_drrb=b&as_mind=12&as_minm=2&as_miny=2002&as_maxd=16&a
s_maxm=10&as_maxy=2003&selm=v9ru70fhtog50e%40corp.supernews.com&rnum=2

"Colin Campbell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The track was first(?) set up at the Del Mar race track north of San Diego.

I

Quoted message said:

watched some pretty fair riders try to set a lap record, including Vic

Copeland,

Quoted message said:

who was then in his early 50's, and Marcelo Arrue. Vic set the record, and Marcelo broke it, as
I recall.

They were almost completely horizontal when they sped through the turns.

Big riders like Butch Stinton looked like Gulliver in Lilliput. It was a

trip!

Quoted message said:

Also saw Mark Whitehead crash. He was across the track from where I was

sitting,

Quoted message said:

and there were boards between him and me. He went over the handlebars,

apparently

Quoted message said:

did a somersault, and came up running!

Dumbass -

I saw that crash too. Pretty entertaining track for a keirin eh?

"Kurgan Gringioni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dumbass -

I saw that crash too. Pretty entertaining track for a keirin eh?

Listen [censored]. It's great that the men and women at NCC care enough about the sport and taking it
to the general public that they made the effort to obtain this short length board track. They've
plugged themselves into the upper Pioneer Valley community to the point where they will get a site
for the track and make it viable for the racing and general community.

Talk all the trash you want about the nature of the track. It only shows what a complete moron you
really are.

In article said:

Also saw Mark Whitehead crash. He was across the track from where I was

sitting,

Quoted message said:

and there were boards between him and me. He went over the handlebars,

apparently

Quoted message said:

did a somersault, and came up running!

Saw that one on video. IIRC, it was an odd 'regional challenge' format event where five or so riders
were each assigned to city-based teams somewhat spread around the USA.

Other than my recollections of that incident between Whitehead and Arrue (Mark leaning /hard/ on
Arrue in the turns each lap until Arrue suddenly moved away - putting Mark off-balance and onto the
cypress in a heartbeat), I recall Texas-ex Trey Gannon being assigned to the "Las Vegas" team, and
Canadian/Saturn rider Brian Walton 'breaking away' in some mass-start race - showing us a bit of his
little-known track ability before winning Silver at the '96 Games.

If they have that video - they have an excellent marketing tool (for the visuals only - ignoring the
wacky format). Add the Goodwill B-roll and you have an impressive package...

Mike G. -

----------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Gladu - Cycling Photojournalist & webmaster of "the 'drome" Email: mikeatvelodromedotcom
Online: velodrome.comvelodrome.comOpen ↗
================================================================

"Carl Sundquist" <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

"Colin Campbell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Also saw Mark Whitehead crash. He was across the track from where I was sitting, and there were
boards between him and me. He went over the handlebars, apparently did a somersault, and came up
running!

Funny you should say that...

google.comgroupsOpen ↗
or:Carl+author:Sundquist&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&as_drrb=b&as_mind=
12&as_minm=2&as_miny=2002&as_maxd=16&a
s_maxm=10&as_maxy=2003&selm=v9ru70fhtog50e%40corp.supernews.com&rnum=2

Since we're talking small.... 🙂 tinyurl.comr8y7Open ↗

"Kurgan Gringioni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

masslive.comindex.ssfOpen ↗ l

Dumbass -

Would you mind pasting in? It requires a subscription or registration.

No it doesn't.

1. enter zip code (pick any five numbers)
2. enter birth year (pick any four numbers between 1901 and 2003)
3. click on a gender (sorry, "in transition" isn't available for you -- just choose one of
the others)
4. click on the arrow or hit <enter

"donald" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Kurgan Gringioni" <[email hidden]> wrote in

message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>

masslive.comindex.ssfOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

l

Dumbass -

Would you mind pasting in? It requires a subscription or registration.

No it doesn't.

1. enter zip code (pick any five numbers)
2. enter birth year (pick any four numbers between 1901 and 2003)
3. click on a gender (sorry, "in transition" isn't available for you -- just choose one of the
others)
4. click on the arrow or hit <enter>

It does require you to allow a cookie from them onto your computer.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by B. Lafferty
"Kurgan Gringioni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dumbass -

I saw that crash too. Pretty entertaining track for a keirin eh?

Listen [censored]. It's great that the men and women at NCC care enough about the sport and taking it
to the general public that they made the effort to obtain this short length board track. They've
plugged themselves into the upper Pioneer Valley community to the point where they will get a site
for the track and make it viable for the racing and general community.

Talk all the trash you want about the nature of the track. It only shows what a complete moron you
really are.

Thanks for the props to the NCC, but spare us the cursing and name calling, doesn't show much class, now does it?