The Valley Preferred Cycling Center

Valley Preferred Cycling Center wrapped up its 35th anniversary season with its biggest crowd in years. Nearly 3,000 fans turned out in T-town to see tonight’s Salamander Madison Cup XXXIV presented by Life Without Lupus.

The event was jam-packed with great racing and a showcase of wonderful causes. While the Madison Cup has traditionally been a good draw for the velodrome, this year’s event pushed the needle in getting community support.

The pro racing stayed on brand: fast and exciting. The event had a little of everything; intense racing and a couple of spectacular crashes. The Madison Cup has a rich history of winners, and riders from ten different countries claimed the prize. But tonight, it was just a couple of local guys that etched their names on the Bob Rodale Trophy. New Tripoli’s Jackie Simes and Topton’s Bobby Lea won the Madison Cup.

Simes and Lea wrapped up the win with about eight laps to go in the final 30K Madison by taking a lap on the field. The move definitely excited the crowd and raised the decibel level to an evening high. For their part, the flyer was calculated, and in the end paid off.

“We had talked about taking a lap on the field before that last race,” said Simes. “We thought we were doing alright in the sprints. We also thought we were strong, so we figured we sprint the first half of the race and then later on we’d look for a chance to take a lap. That opportunity presented itself after a sprint. When I through Bobby in he was fresh and it seemed like everyone else was tired. So he just took off. We got the lap and just kept extending the lead. It’s awesome to win this race.”

Another U.S. duo – Shane Kline and Iggy Silva – finished second, while American Jame Carney teamed with Aussie Clay Murfet to take third.

In women’s action, Kiwi Joanne Kiesenowski and American Kim Geist were front runners most of the night. Kiesenowski won the Elimination race and the 10 Lap Scratch, while Geist scored an overall victory in the 15 Lap Points Race. South Africa’s Ilze Bole won the final points sprint of the season.

Click here for a photo gallery of tonight’s event.

Rider of the Year: Geist’s good night wrapped up the Morning Call 2010 Rider of the Year Award. On the men’s side, Kiwi Aaron Gate claimed that honor last week during Rodale Corporate Challenge.

Youth is Served: DeSales University presented a special engagement of the Bear Creek Future Stars series. The series, which typically runs on Tuesday nights, was a welcome addition to the Madison Cup card. The two races were swept by Tyler Nothstein, who won the 5 Lap Scratch and the Unknown Distance.

Spokes of Hope: During the second intermission, the organization Spokes for Hope took a “Victory Lap” to bring awareness to a program that helps connect cancer survivors with people currently in treatment. The group is led by two-time cancer survivor and a three-time national cycling champion Cindi Hart.

“Cycling is part of my identity; it’s who I am, and I’m not going to let cancer take that away from me,” said Hart. “I’ve been bike racing for 20 years, I’ve been a survivor for six. I’m using the medium that is closest to my heart to try and make a difference in life. With Spokes of Hope, our primary goal is to change the way that cancer is perceived and connect survivors – people that have been through cancer treatment and survived it – with people currently in treatment, so that they know that there is life beyond chemotherapy. We’ve been there, we know what it feels like.”

The lap at Valley Preferred Cycling Center is only one event of many on the Spokes of Hope’s 2010 calendar. Hart said the group “is riding from cancer center to cancer center across the country – hometown to hometown – ultimately to deliver our message to Washington, D.C., on December 16th.”

Life Without Lupus: When tonight’s Madison Cup kicked off, presenting sponsor Life Without Lupus took to the track to raise awareness for lupus and the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation. The 14 Madison Cup teams rode two abreast in a few parade laps decked out in orange jerseys. There was no doubt that this effort made good on its goal.

“My brother, Andy, and I were on the front, and we both turned around saw a mass of orange,” said Chris Paradysz, who is a board member of Life Without Lupus and led the parade laps. “All those 28 riders, all for the same reason. It was very inspiring. Lots and lots of people know about lupus that never did before.”

Flea Market: With the 2010 World Series of Bicycling in the books, Valley Preferred Cycling Center now turns its attention to the Fall Flea Market. This annual event is the largest cycling-specific flea market in the U.S. The event is slated for October 2. Click here for more details.

Want More Racing? Valley Preferred Cycling Center still has some exciting racing left this season. Come on out to T-town on Tuesday nights as the 24-7 Fitness Club Pro-Am Series and Bear Creek Future Stars series wind their seasons down over the next few weeks. Racing starts at 7:30. Admission is free.

Photo by Anthony Skorochod of Cycling Captured