Track Cycling: NASCAR on Two Wheels?

As one of the sports in the inaugural Summer Olympics in 1896, track cycling remains very popular in many countries, most notably Japan, France, Italy, Great Britain and Australia.

It’s still in a niche sport in the United States, however, and there only a handful of active tracks around the country.

I’ve attended the World Track Cycling Championships in several times, including twice in the United States more than 20 years ago in Colorado and a couple of years ago in Carson, Calif.

The 10 track cycling events, seven for men and three for women, begin Friday at he Laoshan Velodrome. The indoor track is banked to an incredible angle, 42 degrees.

The disciplines include sprints to long-distance events. The races are held at high speeds and there are crashes and incredible bursts of power. It’s a little like NASCAR.

I’ve attended the World Track Cycling Champions several times, including both occasions when 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. Unlike NASCAR, it’s hard to miss the body language of the athletes as they perform. It’s really cool, so check it out beginning Friday.