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| An amateur cyclist competes in a Georgia race. John Bazemore/AP |
Brakeless and spoiling for a race
At the New England Velodrome, cyclists compete in track racing – a niche sport within a niche sport.
from the October 12, 2007 edition
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While many track racers hail from other bike-racing disciplines, a growing number come from the ranks of bicycle messengers. That's partly because of similarities between the bikes on the velo circuit – messengers have long favored single-speed bikes for their durability – and also because Cambridge Bicycle, a shop frequented by many messengers, offers organizational and financial support. Jeff Bramhall of Boston's Allston neighborhood is one such bike messenger.
"The first time I came up here, as soon as I got on the track, I was like, 'I'm in heaven, this is so great,' " says Mr. Bramhall. "I come straight from work, so I spend the day working in traffic. Here, I only have to worry about other people on bikes who know what they're doing and are not going to screw up."
That theme of velodrome-as-sanctuary is cited by several racers, who also say they enjoy the familial atmosphere of track racing. Unlike road races, where competitors drive to the race course, race, and then go home, track racing is far more social. That's evidenced by Mrs. O'Connor pressing spectators into service as babysitters for her 3-month-old daughter or Bramhall's experience of having a veteran rider show him the ropes on his first day.
The atmosphere is also strengthened by the fact that, for most, track racing is not just a fun experience, but a new one. While O'Connor and Eberhardt have turned many a lap at Trexlertown, and several series regulars have made the trek there to race in the national championships (and, in some cases, win), most of the approximately 300 racers got their start at, and have only raced on, the Londonderry track.
Eventually, Eberhardt hopes to expand the races series to the weekends and bring in more people and more spectators. He'd like to nudge the sport back toward its American heyday in the 1920s and '30s and away from its current status as niche sport within a niche sport.
But making money isn't the first concern for Eberhardt, anymore than popularity and trendiness is the point for the racers who drive to the track in the late afternoon, race till sunset, and drive home in the dark. While some riders joke that it's all about winning, the thrill is the same for those in first place and those at the back. Even Julie Lockhart, who holds eight national titles in cycling (four of them on the track), still feels sheer exhilaration at doing something under her own power at high speed.
"You feel like you're flying," says Ms. Lockhart, a software-quality engineer who lives in Dunstable, Mass. "Once you're over the finish line, you're like, 'Yeah!' It is a sport that almost anybody can do and it's just so much fun."
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