tag
On the weekend of October 20, 2021, something came to pass that hadn’t for what seemed like forever: the Red Bull Bay Climb in San Francisco, CA. Done in heats, the Bay Climb is a straight line sprint up Potrero Hill with pitches of up to 21%. Racers have to complete no less than 4 trips up the hill, as fast as they can, for a chance to win.
Words and photos by Dan Chabanov
Before I get into this I just wanted to point out that I am not a journalist. Everything I’m writing here is just my observations from hanging out at the track this summer. I didn’t have conversations with anyone “on the record” hence why I don’t name or quote any riders. I was just having casual conversations with folks about life, racing, and the Olympics. I wasn’t conducting interviews. So take this for what it is, just my glimpse behind the curtain of world-class athletes racing, doing their thing, and trying to make the Olympic dream happen.
Damn, Harrison Boyce and Specialized came through on this one! See more on this excellent piece featuring Justin Williams and Jen Whalen over at Medium.
After losing one arm and one leg in a motorbike accident, Juanjo Méndez focused his life on cycling, becoming one of the most competitive in his track racing category. Today, at the age of 53, he enjoys riding on open roads and the Olympic Velodrome in Barcelona.
Behind the Scenes at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Los Angeles
Photos by Eugene Kim, words by John Watson
Track cycling’s draw is massive in Europe, so you never know what you’re going to get when a UCI event rolls into the US, much less, Los Angeles. This year’s UCI Track Cycling World Cup took place at the on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in their VELO Sports Center at the StubHub Center, drawing crowds that surprised. Eugene was there, in the pits so to speak, covering the events of the two-day World Cup. The most notable conquests that weekend were the United States’ own Chloe Dygert Individual Pursuit, the New Zealand team took home the event trophy, and French took home the 2016-2017 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup title.
While track cycling in the United States has yet to reach “Six Days” status, seeing an event like this land in Los Angeles is a win / win.
____
Follow Eugene on Instagram.
This is so sick and it’s not the first time a wall ride has been used to escape a crash.
Gillette meets up with Jeffrey Hoogland as he prepares for the Rio Olympics.
Check out this video featuring Jeffrey Hoogland as he breaks down the sport of track cycling.
At the recent World Cycling League, Kyle Kelley from Tracko and Cesar Alvarez documented an afternoon of track racing for Affinity Cycles. Check out more photos at Affinity and enjoy the video above!
Ion Göttlich is a real monster on the track. The Italian sprinter is the brain child of a South African animator named Claudio Pavan and Bicycling Magazine just did a great interview with him. Head on over to check it out.
This is a great video!
“Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the name for a collection of lung diseases and chronic obstructive airways disease. In 2008, Philippe Poncet was diagnosed with stage 4 COPD. Despite this diagnosis, he is an avid cyclist and in this film challenged himself to ride Col du Lautaret supported by his team of doctors and athletes.”
Check out more at the NY Times.
Photos by Andy White
Madisons are one of the most exhilarating track races to watch. Recently, the Austral / Australian Madison Championships took place in Melbourne, prompting Andy from FYXO to venture out in the hot, hot, hot summer heat. Clearly the outside temperature wasn’t the only thing on fire that day. Those BT bikes!
See more at FYXO!
Shane Perkins is a two-time track racing World Champion and Olympic Medal Winner from Australia. Here he talks about his training on the track…
Things were looking wild in Colombia at the UCI Track World Cup!
Photos by Kyle Kelley
Last weekend was Track Nationals in Los Angeles. Affinity Cycles’ racer Ash Duban was competing in the event at the VELO Sports Center and Kyle from Tracko was on hand to photograph her. There’s a great photo gallery up at Affinity Cycles, with a lot of behind the scenes shots, so go check it out.
If you’re all about track racing and love supporting velodromes like Portland’s Alpenrose then these socks are the perfect way for you to show that love. Head over to Kessler’s Instagram to scoop up a pair and thanks to Kyle from Tracko for the photos!
The fourth annual PDW Omnium took place on May 30, 2015 at the beautiful Alpenrose Velodrome in Portland. Everyone enjoyed an afternoon of track racing, eating burgers, hot dogs and ice cream floats. Big ups to Clint Culpepper and to all the racers for another successful year of the event.
It’s sad to see yet another Midwest velodrome need our support. The Chicago Velodrome is in desperate need of your help, as it requires a chunk of change for repairs. You can find out more at their Go Fund Me or pick up a South Chicago Velodrome Association shirt.
See more information at Tracko!
