The Valley Preferred Cycling Center

Another USA Cycling national championship was awarded tonight at Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, Pa. T-town favorites Andy Lakatosh and Giddeon Massie teamed up to win the Tandem Track Sprint golds and the coveted Stars-and-Stripes jerseys.

The win was refreshing for the Lakatosh, who has been contending in sprint competition all season at Valley Preferred Cycling Center.

“Tandem is one of my favorites,” said Lakatosh. “Riding with my training partner, Giddeon, makes this a special win. It was just awesome. It’s a unique event that only happens once a year. It’s great to have it in T-town.”

Massie added a lot of buzz to the storyline when he entered a 2K Scratch Race just before the tandem final was slated to be run. The gallery could only wonder if he’d have something left in the tank for the final.

“We’re here to race, and tandem isn’t the only race,” said Massie, when asked about his decision to ride the scratch race. “I knew that the training is there to back me up. I have plenty of confidence in Andy and in myself. I’m happy to come out here and win it in front of the hometown crowd.”

Kurt Begemann and Jeffrey Palter won silver, while Andy Kuklis and Ray Ignosh took bronze. Nik Reinert and Jamie Alvord placed fourth, and Lanell Rockmore and Jame Carney came home fifth.

The USA Cycling Tandem Track Sprint National Championships is the second nationals event Valley Preferred Cycling Center hosted this season. The venue also hosted the Juniors Track Nationals event last month.

Tandemonium! The encore event, and one of the most-exciting races at T-town each year, was Tandemonium!, presented by Dan’s Camera City. This 12-lap scratch race pitting all the tandems on the track is definitely to sight to see. It’s often simply regarded as “twice the speed, twice the power, twice the action and twice the thrill.”

It probably comes as no surprise that the new national champions – Lakatosh and Massie – won this one too. However, they didn’t walk away with it. In fact, late into the race, an unlikely duo took a flyer on the field and appeared headed for victory.

The tandem of Nik Reinert and Jamie Alvord had the fans on the edge of their seat, as they built a sizable gap on their competition. In the end, their impressive bid for the win would fall just short to the hard-charging field led by the tandem of Lakatosh and Massie.

Valley Preferred Cycling Center Executive Director Marty Nothstein had previously stated that Tandemonium! “gets the crowd to give more ‘ooohs’ and ‘awwws’ than probably any other event of the year.” This season was no different. A field full of tandems and a close battle to the finish raised the decibel level to a season-high tonight.

Racing Round-up: In addition to tandem action, T-town fans were treated to many other exciting events on the card. Poland’s Kamil Kuczynski pulled out a thrilling win in the 5 Mile Final. Kiwi Sam Webster impressed all by grabbing first wheel early in a 2K Scratch Race and holding on for the win. Emmaus’ Kimberly Geist continued her winning form in taking 5K Points Race and the 10-lap Tempo Points Race. Meanwhile, San Diego’s Iggy Silva won the men’s 25-lap Points Race, while New Zealand’s Gemma Dudley took the women’s Super Sprint Elimination and Teleford’s Dana Feiss won the 2K Scratch Race.

Community Round-up: Valley Preferred Cycling Center continued its efforts to engage the community with unique event-night opportunities. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania were set up in the plaza to attract new girls to their organization. For them, partnering with Valley Preferred Cycling Center was a good fit.

“We want to show that we have a presence in the area,” said Debbie Lillegard, a service unit manager with Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennyslvania. “There are so many people moving into the Lehigh Valley. Valley Preferred Cycling Center gives us a great opportunity to get in front a huge crowd of people. It helps that this is a family-friendly event. We obviously want to reach families that have young children. Our goal is to do more events that cater to families, and this is a great place to start.”

Dan’s Camera City made good use of its night of racing by tieing it to a fast action photography workshop. Amateur photographers were taught the basics of how to capture fast action photos in the classroom at Dan’s Camera City and then got a hands-on shoot tonight at the velodrome. Meanwhile, popular bicycle collector Bob Swaim made a return visit to T-town, after his first stop earlier this season was a well-received. His vast collection of unique bicycles and engaging stories were a hit with fans of all ages.

Next Event:  The World Series of Bicycling returns to action next Friday, August 13, with the Rodale Corporate Challenge. Gates open at 5:30. With tickets starting at just $5.00 and kids 12 and under getting in free, a trip to Valley Preferred Cycling Center is a great night out for the entire family. Racing starts at 7:30.

Photo by Anthony Skorochod of Cycling Captured