Newark Velodrome
The Newark Velodrome was from 1907 to 1930 in the US Newark , New Jersey .
Newark had two cycle tracks as early as the 1890s . One railway fell victim to a fire in 1904, in 1907 the second, located in the district of Vailsburg , was torn down and replaced by the new one on the opposite side of the street. The wooden track was around 275 meters long, so six laps resulted in one mile. There was space for around 12,000 spectators in the covered velodrome. The Newark Velodrome, which at the time met the highest standards, was considered the most important in the United States .
In 1912, the Track World Championships were held in Newark , in which all three gold medals to be awarded went to American drivers: in the professional sprint to Frank Kramer , in the standing race to George Wiley and in the amateur sprint to Donald McDougall .
In 1915 there was a tragic incident on the velodrome: Former cyclist and current director of the track, Floyd MacFarland , noticed that a refreshment seller named David Lantenberg was putting up advertising posters on the track's gang. MacFarland had banned this because screws or nails had repeatedly landed on the track, which was dangerous for the racing drivers. There was a loud argument in front of around 150 witnesses. When MacFarland tried to wrest the screwdriver from Lantenberg, the latter accidentally stabbed him in the back of the head with the tool. Horrified by his own deed, Lantenberg took MacFarland to the hospital in his car, but he died there.
McFarland was succeeded by the influential cycling manager John Chapman as director of the Velodrome . a. also organized the six-day races in New York City and had a strong monopoly in American track cycling . Until McFarland's death, the two men had been rivals for influence in American professional track cycling. In the years that followed, the Velodrome was the site of numerous high-class races with drivers from North America and Europe.
In 1922 Frank Kramer, who lived near Newark, drove his farewell race on the track. As a result of the global economic crisis , the cycling track became unprofitable and demolished in 1930. Today the Vailsburg Park is located there .
literature
- Peter Nye: Hearts of Lions. The History of American Bicycle Racing. Norton, New York NY et al. a. 1988, ISBN 0-393-02543-8 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ warofyesterday.blogspot.com
- ↑ Bobkestrut.com accessed on May 18, 2010 (English)
- ↑ New York Times of April 18, 1915 ( Memento of the original of November 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Glimpse of History: Kramer's last ride at Newark Velodrome on nj.com v. May 1, 2011 (Engl.)
Web links
Coordinates: 40 ° 44 '32.6 " N , 74 ° 13' 2.6" W.