It is hard to imagine, but professional cycling was once one of America’s most popular spectator sports.  As I sift through various histories o

When Velodromes Were Big Business

submited by
Style Pass
2024-11-28 09:00:04

It is hard to imagine, but professional cycling was once one of America’s most popular spectator sports.  As I sift through various histories of cycling’s Golden Age, I am struck by just how big cycling was in the 1920s.  The only sport that was arguably more popular was boxing.  That’s it. 

– In the 1920s, National Football League franchises could be purchased for about $100.  The entire league was worth about $1,100.  That is what a good cyclist could earn in a single night.  Cyclists were the best paid athletes in the world.

– By WWII, there were over 100 velodromes in the United States.  The main circuit consisted of Philadelphia, Newark, NYC, and Boston.  Other cities like Chicago, Denver, and Salt Lake City had thriving operations as well.  A group of 50-60 riders would travel between Boston and Philadelphia, racing every day for seven months a year.  This was the racing capital of the world.  Few Americans raced overseas because the money was so much better in the U.S.  The best Europeans and Australians traveled to the U.S. to race for big prizes of thousands of dollars.

– Many people are not aware that the current Madison Square Garden is the fourth incarnation of that edifice.  The first two were purpose-built as velodromes.  The modern track cycling discipline of “Madison” takes its name from The Garden, which hosted an annual six-day race that was about as popular as the Super Bowl is today.  16,000 people would continuously cram into MSG for the event and fire marshals were required to cordon off the building to prevent too many people from entering. 

Leave a Comment