In 1967, publisher Robert Rodale attended the Pan American Games and fell in love with track cycling. By 1974, he was building a velodrome on his family's land near Trexlertown. The first race was held on October 12, 1975. Fifty years later, the Valley Preferred Cycling Center is the most active and successful velodrome in the United States.
The Numbers
Over its history, the facility known locally as T-Town has produced more than 140 national champions, 7 world champions, and 3 Olympic medalists. The most famous is Marty Nothstein, a three-time world champion and 2000 Olympic gold medalist who grew up riding these same banked turns. Sheila Young and Connie Paraskevin are among the other champions who called this track home.
A Community Facility
Rodale recruited celebrated cyclists Jack Simes III and David Chauner to help launch the facility, then donated the land and the partially completed velodrome to Lehigh County to ensure it would serve the public long-term. Today the center runs summer camps, community rides, and introductory programs that make track cycling accessible to people of all ages and experience levels. You do not need to be an aspiring Olympian to ride here. You just need to be curious.
Robert Rodale's Legacy
Robert Rodale died in a 1990 automobile accident in Russia, but his vision lives on every time a cyclist takes a lap at T-Town. He was inducted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame, and his legacy extends beyond the velodrome itself. The cycling culture he helped foster in the Lehigh Valley is part of the broader wellness ecosystem that includes the D&L Trail, community bike shops, and a region that takes two-wheeled transportation seriously.
