Since the penny-farthings and boneshakers of the early nineteenth century first got folks on two wheels, this once-quaint contraption has become a vehicle for Olympic sport. One of the global cycling community’s top tracks for racing is right here in Breinigsville. At The Valley Preferred Cycling Center, cyclists train, compete and press on to Olympic excellence while spectators enjoy world-class racing.
T-Town Hit the Ground Rolling
A proponent of local agriculture and editor for his family’s Rodale Press, Bob Rodale was a sportsman who competed in skeet shooting in the 1968 Olympics. Bit by the cycling bug at these events, he broke ground on his and wife Ardath’s land in Trexlertown to begin work on his own track in 1974.
Rodale was canny about setting his track up for success by partnering with others. He enlisted cycling stars of the era Jack Simes III and David Chauner to bring the velodrome to the attention of the international community. To ensure the longevity of the track and its programs, Rodale donated the land and facility to Lehigh County in exchange for a promise to keep it alive.
When the first race was held at the “Lehigh County Velodrome” on October 12, 1975, the sport came first: it was without locker rooms, restrooms or bleachers. Nonetheless, it quickly became a landmark for cycling and the site of World Cups, Olympic Trials and, twice, the Junior World Championship, drawing top competitors from all over the world.
Renovations in 1995 turned the “Concrete Crater” into a more plush destination for spectators, with mouth-watering concessions, spacious grandstands and comfortable locker rooms for the athletes. Then dubbed the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, the track was to go through yet another name change when a generous partnership of doctors and hospitals, Valley Preferred, threw its weight behind the facility. Now The Valley Preferred Cycling Center—also known fondly as T-Town for its Trexlertown location—is a hub for enthusiasts to learn, excel in and enjoy the sport.
Photo credit Discover Lehigh Valley®, DiscoverLehighValley.com
Take Me Out to the Bike Game
Ready to witness the incredible speed of the world’s fastest cyclists? Providing not only an irresistible magnet for cyclists looking to do their best, the velodrome also caters to spectators with an electrifying experience.
Athletes flock to Trexlertown every Friday night, June through August, for the World Series of Bicycling, where you can see the swiftest competitors rack up points that will qualify them for the Olympics. The Super Tuesday series offers another chance to watch both professionals and amateurs whizz past. While racing categories one and two compete on the famous Friday Nights Under the Lights, Tuesday’s races are open to all categories and feature lightning-fast Round Robin Sprints.
Tickets are super affordable, which helps one budget for beer, wine and slushies at Shangy’s Craft Beer Handle Bar. This year, the velodrome introduces its partnership with Sticky Pig Food Truck, providing sandwiches and snacks Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Splash out for a private group in the Weihenstephaner German Beer Garden trackside and feel the breeze from your bistro table as racers fly by right across the rail.
Photo by Valley Preferred Cycling Center, courtesy DiscoverLehighValley.com
Get On Your Bikes and Ride
With that classic Rodale spirit of sustainability, The Valley Preferred Cycling Center makes part of its mission the cultivation of beginning and burgeoning track cyclists with a comprehensive series of programs. From the Squirts and WeebleWobbles, ages five and up learning to graduate from training wheels, to the PeeWee Pedalers, up to age eight getting their first taste of the velocity of the velodrome, cyclists are made here with a foundation in skills and safety. Aspiring track cyclists age 8–16 have a place in the Air Products Youth Cycling program to learn the tricks of the track, from basic etiquette to entry-level racing.
But you don’t have to be a kid to start learning or practicing with the velodrome’s experts. The Adult Fitness Cycling course is a place to meet like-minded individuals and support each other as you get a killer workout including endurance intervals, sprint efforts and bike handling drills. Learn the basics among your own with Women’s Wednesdays, suitable for all levels of riders looking to gain confidence.
Try the Track clinics are yet another opportunity to get comfortable riding on a track and to get ready for your first race. Track bikes are provided if you don’t have your own, but all programs require you bring and wear a helmet.
Mandy Marquardt, photographed by Andrew Tomasino
Titans of the Track
The velodrome has hosted countless cycling legends over the years. Allen Bell, who competed in the 1956 Olympic Games in Rome, went on to win that first elite race at The Valley Preferred Cycling Center on the opening day in 1975. Much more recently, Upper Macungie’s Mandy Marquardt, an 18-time U.S. National Champion track sprint cyclist, has managed type 1 diabetes while building an impressive cycling career on The Valley Preferred Cycling Center track. Eying a run at the 2021 Olympics, she’s an example of extraordinary perseverance in the face of her body’s unique demands.
The racing roster is packed with world champions, many homegrown. Olympian Matt Baranoski of Perkasie, for example, became the youngest ever USA Cycling Elite National Champion, and Emmaus’s Kimberly Geist, a World and Pan-American Champion, has retired from racing to open her own coaching academy, no doubt to send a new flock of fleet-wheeled cyclists to the racetrack.
Whether you ride or just watch, take pride in having a landmark like T-Town in Lehigh Valley's backyard.
1151 Mosser Rd., Breinigsville | DiscoverLehighValley.com
This post is a sponsored collaboration between Discover Lehigh Valley and Lehigh Valley Style.
