NY Bike Jumble is coming up on their one-year anniversary. In 2010, Harry and his little helpers are planning on setting up an exhibit about the long-lost Coney Island Velodrome. More details below from the Bike Jumble press-release on how you could help them achieve this goal.
Thank you for making the NY Bike Jumble's first year such a success. We hope you enjoyed the two Jumbles, the free photo booth and our blog postings.
We have some exciting plans for the next cycling season, including another Jumble and an exhibit about the Coney Island Velodrome.
The Coney Island Velodrome was the last commercial bicycle racing track in New York, and hosted some of cycling's most grueling races. With your help, we will bring the Velodrome back to life with a display of vintage bikes that were raced on the Coney track, as well as beautiful programs and posters that trumpeted the heroism of the riders. The exhibit will be a tribute to New York's glorious cycling past, preserving stories that have long languished in an undeserved obscurity.
While the exhibit has a venue (the Old Stone House, site of the first Bike Jumble), we need your help. I am writing to you to ask for a small donation to ensure that the exhibit becomes a reality. Your tax-deductible donation will go directly towards the research, materials and construction of an exhibit that is truly worthy of the Velodrome and New York's flourishing bike culture.
Please click on the following link for more info in a .pdf format here.
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Comments
Coney Island is such a dump maybe a new velodrome will really help inspire more people (Kids) to get into the somewhat positive sport of cycling....??????
Posted by: Kanon08 | December 18, 2009 1:44 AM
I thought our indoor velodrome was warped. I can't imagine an open-air one on the Atlantic.
Posted by: Morgan Taylor | December 18, 2009 6:11 AM
Sorry your facts are not correct.
Coney Isl the last commercial track? Kissena and the Vandedrome at Glen Spey should be included in your considerations.
Contact Mike Fraysse if you need further details.
-Bilko
Posted by: Bilko | December 18, 2009 12:52 PM
Hello, I'm Harry. Coney Island was the last commercial Velodrome in New York City in that you had to pay to spectate at the races.
Kissena was built as a public amenity rather than as a profit making venture. The fact that people don't think they can make money holding track races is why we're having this exhibit. Lets remember when track racing was as big as baseball!
Posted by: harry | December 18, 2009 2:00 PM
I do not think it actually made money, which is why it caught fire.
Al Toefield tried to do a 6 day in madison square garden in the 70's but the costs and the unions and the poor ticket sales squashed the event.
Before Kissena the velodrome was the parking lot at Shea stadium.
to break even in track racing it would have to be indoor and embrace other sports and entertainment possibilities.
Posted by: anthony van dunk | December 21, 2009 3:49 PM
I have a portable velodrome. Is there a flat area (200'x 300') where it can be erected?
Posted by: dale hughes | January 4, 2010 11:26 AM
My mothers uncle was one of the original owners of the Coney Island Velodrome. At 87 she still tells of going to the races every Sunday with her family, sitting in grandstand wearing big hats and cheering on Georgetti and Hanson.
Posted by: Tee | February 4, 2010 9:07 PM
My father used to race bicycles at the Coney Island Velodrome . I remember they would get behind a motorcycle and go just as fast . That was a long time ago and I was very young so it is not all clear in my mind . My father's name was Armando D'Angelo but he was called Louie .
Posted by: Tony D'Angelo | March 31, 2010 9:16 PM