Once upon a time, a little over 100 years ago, Philadelphia was a big bicycling town. The bike racing track at Willow Grove Park, now the site of the Willow Grove Mall, hosted national events.
It could be again if David Chauner of Velodrome Management Group L.L.C in Montgomery County is successful. He wants to build an indoor velodrome in Chester County. Plans for a site in Montco a few years ago fell through. I hope he can find the financing and make the project a reality. For more info see "Bike-race promoter seeks Pennsylvania velodrome site," by Christopher K. Hepp (Inquirer 2/04)
Wikipedia has an entry with a description of a modern velodrome and links to some existing velodromes. Pennsylvania is already home to the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, and outdoor velodrome.
One of the more fascinating people in the 1890s cycling craze was Major Taylor, an African American. He won national races and in 1898 set record speeds in Philadelphia. Before Tiger Woods, Jackie Robinson, and Jesse Owens, Major Taylor broke barriers. Taylor wrote an autobiography, published around 1928. I had an opportunity to browse an old crumbling copy a few years ago. Very interesting. There has been a resurgence of interest in Taylor in recent years, with a handful of new books published. The latest is Major by Todd Balf, currently in bookstores. Taylor's daughter Sidney (named for the Australian city where the family lived when she was born), lived in Pittsburgh for much of her adult life, and died there.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Some Notes on a Philadelphia Velodrome and Major Taylor
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5 comments:
Marshall W. Taylor was a World Champion and a big star in Europe.
After his retirement from cycling he was also an inventor who created a design for a brake system for the emerging auto industry.
He was a "natural" who was the first in the cycling sport to understand the huge importance of position on the bike (ergonomics / biomechanics)
A tragic hero? Perhaps, but certainly a true champion.
If you have been following this Philadelphia velodrome thing for a while you know that David Chauner is a hustler who has no credibility. He has no money and no land. What exactly does he have? The last project that is cited in this blog netted him a consultants fee. Perhaps that is what is at the bottom of this quixotic quest.
I had no idea this post would spark such interest, and such divergent interest.
As for 8:45 anonymous, I know nothing more about Chauner than was reported in the paper, but isn't "no land and money" about what other sports teams or groups have when they want to build an arena or stadium?
I know this is an old post but wanted to add some information. The old Philly velodrome was located at 3600 Broad St. Sequi Grounds. Major Taylor also designed an extension for his handlebars too. He wrote an autobiography that he sold door to door. Yes a tragic hero who stood up to racism with Class!
thanks for the update!
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