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Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story

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Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story

Nelson Vails has been receiving a good amount of media coverage over the past few months and now, this Indigogo Campaign has launched to fund a documentary about the track racer. Here’s the trailer for Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story.

“Nelson Vails’ story is a triumph over almost insurmountable odds. Nelson was the youngest of 10 children growing up in the Harlem projects and worked as a New York City bicycle messenger to support his family. Nicknamed “The Cheetah” because he was the fastest cat in the jungle, Nelson rode furiously while working, trained in Central Park after work and raced locally on weekends.

He was thrust on to the world stage, represented the USA at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where he won the silver medal in the individual 1000-meter Match Sprints, behind countryman Mark Gorski. Becoming a pioneer for the African-American cycling community, this documentary explores the beginnings of his life in Harlem and his impact on the future generation of cyclists worldwide.

It follows the triumph of Nelson’s achievements with the sobering reality of what becomes of athletes after retirement. We see Nelson’s resurgence today as an advocate for recreational cycling and as a role model for the African-American community, culminating in a reunion with teammate and opponent Mark Gorski, as they revisit the site of their historical race.

In the end, Nelson’s story is simply about a kid whose love for the bicycle led him to transcend racial and economic barriers to becoming a legacy.”

See more here.

Bank 04

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Bank 04

Keirin Bank and Groooove put together a short and sweet video from a recent track racing event in Japan. It’s been a while since something from Groooove has been posted here. More of this!

The Athletic: Portland Design Works Omnium

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The Athletic: Portland Design Works Omnium

Photos by Jeremy Dunn

Clint Culpepper organizes plenty of races (top photo) and Jeremy’s write up of the Portland Design Works Omnium at The Athletic documents this successful event through the eyes, the lens and the words of someone who hasn’t been to a track race in years. There were hot dogs, rad track bikes, root beer kegs and cash payouts! Check out more at The Athletic!

Chasing the Glory: Ryokou Chapter 5

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Chasing the Glory: Ryokou Chapter 5

Another day, another Ryokou chapter:

Chasing the Glory media house in association with Projucer presents the official trailer and announces the digital release of our latest sports story: RYOKOU (Journey) – a five part web documentary published on this channel.

Ryokou follows the journey of Aussie Cyclist Shane Perkins from his home in Adelaide post London Olympics to taking residence in Japan whilst competing in the 2012/13 Keirin competition. The sports documentary explores Japanese Keirin cycling as a pivotal part of Shane’s personal and professional growth, in context of some of the major events in his professional and personal career.”

Chasing the Glory: Ryokou Chapter 4

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Chasing the Glory: Ryokou Chapter 4

The Ryoukou series continues with yet another episode. Here’s chapter 4:

Chasing the Glory media house in association with Projucer presents the official trailer and announces the digital release of our latest sports story: RYOKOU (Journey) – a five part web documentary published on this channel.

Ryokou follows the journey of Aussie Cyclist Shane Perkins from his home in Adelaide post London Olympics to taking residence in Japan whilst competing in the 2012/13 Keirin competition. The sports documentary explores Japanese Keirin cycling as a pivotal part of Shane’s personal and professional growth, in context of some of the major events in his professional and personal career.”