Dean Alleger helps get a young rider fitted on the stationary bike. Photo: Jeff Namba

Here in the United States, children in the millions take part in organized sports every day. Little league, youth soccer, swimmers, and pee-wee football all have organizations ranging from casual, neighborhood games up to state and national competitive clubs. At the higher levels of these organizations, talent is identified, developed and groomed from a very young age. These programs often feed right into college level athletics, and then on to the pros.

However, one sport that is not so common as an organized youth activity is cycling. Pop culture acceptance of competitions such as the X Games have helped bring exposure and acceptance to Freestyle and BMX type cycling events.  However, for kids who like road or track racing, it can be nearly impossible to find others that enjoy the same thing that aren’t 20 years older then they are.

However, there are some that are actively trying to address this apparent lack of support..

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My friend and general Mr. Cycling of Sacramento Chris Dougherty brought the below video to my attention on Facebook.  Yet another example of the value of the efforts of the Sacramento Valley Velodrome Association.

I’ll stop talking now and let the video speak for itself.

The goal is a velodrome – a smooth surfaced track with banked corners used for bicycle racing.  Unlike outdoor road or stage bicycle races – more commonly known in mainstream America – track races are much friendlier to spectators.  In road or stage races, the setting is outdoors and you can’t see the riders until they pass by your vantage point.  In some race formats – like the Tour de France – that happens exactly once.

In contrast, track racing takes place in a stadium-like environment, where spectators can watch all of the action as it unfolds.

I stopped by Rex Cycles in Sacramento to speak with Steve Rex and Dean “Dino” Alleger, two guys who just happen to know a thing or two about getting a velodrome facility in the Sacramento area.

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Sunday night it was standing room only as Sacramento’s Hot Italian hosted another Savage Sprints event to benefit the Sacramento Valley Velodrome Project.

The venue worked well, providing food and drink for the adults, along with a comfortable location for the many children that also came out with their parents.  The races saw brother pitted against brother, and even a national track champion was in attendance.

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Sacramento’s Second Saturday art walk continues to draw crowds, and bicycles continue to be an integral part of the festivities.  Not only are bicycles the only viable option for many to navigate the packed midtown streets, bicycles themselves continue to be an attraction.

Readers may recall a previous post regarding bicycles and Second Saturday where I talked to Doug at the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen.  This time around, I was fortunate enough to reconnect with my former neighbor and friend, Chris Dougherty, at an event that took place Rex Cycles.

This event featured some good pizza courtesy of Hot Italian, tasty beer and wine, and some heated GoldSprints racing.  The idea was to raise both awareness – and some early funds – for the Sacramento Valley Velodrome project.  Just Another Cyclist is currently looking into the details of this effort, and will be writing about this soon.  As the name implies, though, this is indeed an effort to get a velodrome built in the Sacramento area.

Rex cycles is a custom frame and bike builder.  According to their own website:

Rex Cycles specializes in custom frames, mechanical and frame repairs, parts and our complete bikes. We specialize in road racing, touring, and tandem bicycles, and the unique S and S Bicycle Torque Coupling travel system.

Rex frames are designed around your body and riding needs.

Steve’s years of experience produce some truly great looking bikes, and the shop proved to be a fantastic venue for the Velodrome project event.