Track Cycling In Beijing: High Speeds, Crashes & Really Cool

Road race cycling at the Beijing Olympics ended on Wednesday and now it’s time for one of the coolest and most unheralded cycling disciplines — track cycling.

The Laoshan Velodrome at the Beijing Olympics

Held on the Laoshan Velodrome, track cycling features 10 events, seven for men and three for women on the indoor banked track.

As one of the oldest Olympic sports, track cycling is extraordinarily popular Japan, France, Italy and Australia, but it’s a niche sport in the United States.

I’ve attended the World Track Cycling Champions several times, including both occasions it was held in the United States in my lifetime, 1986 in Colorado Springs, Colo., and in 2006 in Carson, Calif.

It’s amazing to me that track cycling isn’t more popular in the United States. Like NASCAR, it involves athletes performing at high speeds. There are crashes and intense moments of energy. And unlike NASCAR, it’s hard to miss the body language in track cycling. It’s really cool, so check it out beginning Friday.

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