Skunkworks Track Cycling

Happy 20th anniversary, Velo Sports Center! 🎉🍾🥳

📚 Sunday School is in session June 9th from 1-4pm!

🖤 There’s nothing that warms our tiny, cold Skunk hearts more than Sunday School. This volunteer-run session shows the best of the track community: no one’s getting paid, no one’s getting clout, but everyone gets something out of the session. People volunteer their time because it’s rewarding to give back to this community we all love so much. 🖤

Sunday School is a beginner-friendly structured training session focussed on skills progression. This session provides guidance from experienced volunteer leaders – if you’re interested in volunteering, please DM or email us at [email protected]

Sunday School is free with a Velo Sports Center monthly membership or a drop in fee of $15, which includes a bike rental if you need it.

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Sunday’s time trials were a showcase of individual speed (so much speed!), but the team events were the star attraction, featuring SEVEN Team Sprint teams!

We had teams with mixed Masters + a rider, a family (parents and daughter), all-junior phenoms, all- Hellyer Velodrome and more. We love the team events because it’s super fun and everyone has a good time (stopit with the puns, yer killin’ us).

Results: the second link in our IG linktree will take you to ALL of the Skunkworks results. There are QR codes around the Velo Sports Center facility that will take you there too.

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There were two kinds of Ominums at the June 1st Omnium Madness: Madison and Juniors, but, let’s face it, the main event was the FATC Juniors Rule! Omnium. Why? Because Juniors RULE! (d’uh!).

The three categories of age 9-12, 13-14 and 15-16 included first time racers, multi-year veterans and many doubled up and also raced in the Madison Omnium! FATC’s number one rule is “Have fun” which they absolutely did and they demonstrated good sportsmanship, and raced safely (AND FAST)!

We’re so grateful to the Foundation for American Track Cycling for trusting us with their Junior Rules! Omnium at Velo Sports Center. We do a lot of wisecracking over here at Skunkworks HQ, but we have such admiration for what FATC does for the most important racers at the track: the Juniors. We hope everyone had a terrific time and we completely agree: JUNIORS RULE!

📸 Skunks +

🤝💕 The Foundation for American Track Cycling Madison Omnium was a spectacular hand-slinging success! The Madison Cup expanded from a single points race to a 3-event omnium (Scratch, Flying 500m TT, and Points) with TWO fields: Development & Elite.

We loved seeing racers from Hellyer Velodrome, Arizona and our locals racing their hearts out, showcasing their MADison skills. If you’re interested in getting started racing Madison, there’s no better training than Roger Young’s Madison School, every Sunday 11am-1pm at VSC.

Thank you so much to FATC for supporting Madison and Junior racing (more on that shortly) at Velo Sports Center!

🤝💕Not only is Foundation for American Track Cycling sponsoring Juniors Rule!, the Foundation is also presenting the FATC Madison Cup with both a Development and Elite omnium. What’s a Madison Omnium? Just like it sounds: an omnium with three events: Scratch, TT, and Points, scored like an individual omnium, but as a two-person Madison team.

Sign up at BikeReg.com today! https://www.bikereg.com/skunkworks-fatc-juniors-rule-madison-omnium

Even if you don’t race Madison, it’s thrilling to watch the action and we’re grateful FATC continues to support Madison at Velo Sports Center

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June 1 is a huge day on our local bike race calendar because our friends at The Eldo Race Series are hosting a SATURDAY race (whaaaa, Saturday?!) with FREE Junior Races at 7:45am! Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better for Junior racers and their families, there’s track racing nearby at the Velo Sports Center velodrome at noon!

Double up for a terrific day of road and track with the Foundation for American Track Cycling (FATC) Junior Rules! Omnium.

FATC Juniors Rule! Omnium categories:
Age 9-12
Age 13-14
Age 15-16

Sign up at BikeReg.com today! https://www.bikereg.com/skunkworks-fatc-juniors-rule-madison-omnium

It’s almost time for the FIRST WEEKEND RACE of 2024! We can’t wait to see your smiling faces at Velo Sports Center on Saturday, but let’s face it, we’re most excited to see the Juniors for the Foundation for American Track Cycling Juniors Rule! Omnium. If you have a Junior who’s keen to race, sign up today and get ready for some terrific racing!

The Foundation for American Track Cycling (FATC) has a long history as the title sponsor for Juniors Rule! Omniums and Skunkworks takes the responsibility of providing an excellent Junior race experience seriously. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be A LOT of fun along the way!

FATC Juniors Rule! Omnium categories:
Age 9-12
Age 13-14
Age 15-16

Final note as we prepare for the races: we have some guiding values here at Skunkworks that we think our community shares: help out a Junior, volunteer at an event, show good sportsmanship, and race safe+hard. Racing requires many hands to lighten the load, so please DM us if you’re able to volunteer, especially to help out the Juniors. It’s important for the Juniors and their families to know how much the VSC community supports younger racers.

⏱️ Get ready for the June 2nd Time Trials at Velo Sports Center!

REMINDER: The Endurance Session now starts at NOON! Why? Because we’re Skunks! Also, we’ve gotten pretty darn good at running the morning Sprint Sessions (humble brag) and can comfortably start the afternoon Endurance Session earlier than in the past.

No matter which Race of Truth you’re planning to ride, sign up on BikeReg because there’s NO on-site registration. The third link in our bio linktree will take you to registration: https://www.bikereg.com/skunkworks-track-racing-time-trial-june-2

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🤝💕 Madison doesn’t just have fans, it has fanatics! We believe in giving the fans what they want, so the June 1st Madison Cup is a THREE RACE Omnium! Madison Madness indeed!

3 Madison Omnium events:
🏁Scratch Race
🏁Time Trial (ooooohhhh, a crowd pleaser)
🏁Points Race

Skunkworks + Foundation for American Track Cycling (FATC) present the FATC Madison Cup series with both a development and elite race. Even if you don’t race Madison, it’s thrilling to watch the action and we’re so grateful FATC continues to support Madison at Velo Sports Center

🏆 The FATC Madison Cup series winners are awarded the Holleman Memorial Trophy in memory of JP “The Legend’’ Holleman, a tremendous supporter of track cycling and the Foundation for American Track Cycling. Like the Stanley Cup, the JP Holleman Memorial Trophy is engraved with the winners’ names, maybe 2024 is your team’s year!

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Mark June 1st on your calendars for the Skunkworks + Foundation for American Track Cycling (FATC) OMNIUM MADNESS!

Starting at noon, get ready for the Foundation for American Track Cycling Juniors Rule! Omnium and the FATC Madison Cup Omnium. Whaaat? A MADISON OMNIUM?! Yup!

📅 Date: Saturday, June 1st
⏰ Time: Noon
📍Location: Velo Sports Center

FATC Juniors Rule! Omnium categories:
Age 9-12
Age 13-14
Age 15-16

FATC Madison Cup Omnium categories:
Development and Elite

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Remember that time Skunkworks hosted a pop-up race before the PanAmerican Championships?!🤯 Our scrimmage was described by omnium winner Grant Koontz as “the hardest local racing I’ve ever done.”

We were honored when the US National Team coaches asked us to host a grassroots tune-up race for their team camp. Our local community jumped into action (in English and Spanish!) to let international racers in town for the PanAmerican Championships know about the scrimmage. There’s something special about a racer: they’re keen to race hard wherever and whenever there’s an opportunity.

The scrimmage had 17 racers from the US, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Peru, and a few local racers competing for bragging rights on Wednesday evening. We love our locals, we love our friends from Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Peru who’ve raced with us in the past, but man oh man – the courageous racing from the Mexican team (the men and women!) won our hearts 🇲🇽🖤🤍🖤🦨.

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🇲🇽 Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at from 1-4pm! Sunday School is back this Sunday, May 5th!

The target audience is anyone new to track, so that includes nervous brand new riders AND speedy road/MTB/CX racers looking to shorten the time it takes them to master track racing. If you’re in the neighborhood at CBR in the morning, swing by for the session and get two rides out of your trip to Carson!

This session provides newer riders guidance from experienced volunteer leaders – if you’re interested in volunteering for one Sunday a month, please DM or email us at [email protected]

The session is free with a VSC monthly membership or a drop in fee of $15, which includes a bike rental if you need it.

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🏆 We were treated to an incredible performance last night at the Skunkworks pre-PanAmerican Scrimmage. The Formula 1 racing was fantastic and if that’s the scrimmage pace, we can’t imagine what’s in store for next week’s Pan American Championship at Velo Sports Center

Thank you so much to USA Cycling for trusting us with hosting this event and for supporting grassroots track racing 🙏

More photos to follow (believe it, we’ll be dining out on the success of this race for months!).

Skunkworks background looks great behind the big podium because of these unbelievably hard-working racers:
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Just when we thought we were out, they pulled us back in!

We’re a pack of misfits, but we host extremely professional grassroots races and were honored when US National Team coaches asked us to host a Very Special Skunkworks Formula 1 Omnium this Wed, March 27th.

The US National Team is in town for a camp, so we have the privilege of seeing the best American track racers in advance of PanAms! But it doesn’t stop there. Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, Peru, and a few local racers will all compete for bragging rights on Wednesday. If you’re local and we haven’t reached out to you, DM us and we’ll add you to the startlist (or we’ll let you down gently, 👀).

There will be a lot going on Wed from 6-9 pm because between the F1 scrimmage races (scratch, elimination and points), civilians are invited to participate in the regularly-scheduled Hour of Power.

If you’re not riding, you’re welcome to spectate at Velo Sports Center because the racing quality will be fantastic! There’s a legendary 1992 Dream Team scrimmage that Michael Jordan described as the “greatest game I’ve ever played in.” Scrimmages and grassroots racing showcase the best in racing for the pure joy of the sport and we’re so grateful to play our small role hosting the scrimmage on Wednesday!

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⏰️ Reminder: Registration for the Sunday’s Time Trials closes at 6pm on Saturday, March 23rd! Sign up on BikeReg because there’s NO on-site registration. The third link in our bio linktree will take you to registration: https://www.bikereg.com/skunkworks-track-racing-time-trial-march-24

🕛 Reminder #2: The Endurance Session starts at NOON at Velo Sports Center!

⏱️ Finally, if you register for any timed event, you get a FREE TEAM EVENT ENTRY! Don’t have a team? That’s okay, we’re terrific matchmakers! Never done a team event? This is the perfect time to try it, we promise you’ll have a great time!

🏆 The last winter weeknight race produced big smiles from everyone who raced and spectated, not just the podium winners. The podiums are so much fun and we absolutely love that the entire community sticks around to celebrate the achievements of ALL fields of racers + Louis’ birthday cupcakes were AMAZING!

Formula 1:
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4️⃣ Birthday Boy
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Femme 1:
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Formula 2:
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🥉 Sebastian “SeaBass” Pena
Femme 2:
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Formula 3:
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🥈 John Bergman ()
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⏱️ Time Trials on March 24: Last TT before the PanAm Championships - see how you perform against the Pan American cyclists who arrive in LA/ Velo Sports Center early!

BIG TIME CHANGE: The Endurance Session now starts at NOON! Why? Because we’re Skunks! Also, we’ve gotten pretty darn good at running the morning Sprint Sessions (humble brag) and can comfortably start the afternoon Endurance Session earlier.

If you register for any timed event, you get a FREE TEAM EVENT ENTRY! Don’t have a team? That’s okay, we’re terrific matchmakers! Never done a team event? This is the perfect time to try it, we promise you’ll have a great time!

No matter which Race of Truth you’re planning to ride, sign up on BikeReg because there’s NO on-site registration. The third link in our bio linktree will take you to registration: https://www.bikereg.com/skunkworks-track-racing-time-trial-march-24

8 Reasons to Race Skunkworks on Wed, Mar 20th:

1. It’s the LAST race of the Winter series. There won’t be more evening races until Fall 🍁
2. 🎙Professional announcer: Al Nash (fantastic announcer + literally a Rocket Scientist) will announce your races and explain exactly what’s happening!
3. Spectators are free: it’s the last race and we’d love it if you'd encourage your friends, family, frienemies and anyone else who’d enjoy a new experience to come to Velo Sports Center for a free evening filled with entertainment, excitement, and high-speed track racing!
4. 📺 YouTube livestream: Get your 5-minutes of fame with a courageous attack!
5. (but also) Low pressure: Skunkworks is a great opportunity to experiment with tactics and test yourself on a weeknight. Things work out for you? Great! Did that brave attack result in you getting lapped by the field? No big deal, congratulations on trying!
6. Inclusive: We’re focused on building an inclusive, welcoming community at the track for EVERYONE. USAC National Team members are given the same attention as rookie racers – every Skunkworks racer is important.
7. Community: The magic of track racing is the camaraderie built in the infield. There’s respect built within the fields racing each other, but Skunkworks racers watch the other fields to learn from them (even the rookies) and celebrate their smart racing maneuvers.
8. 📸 Flash photography is permitted: no matter how much you’re suffering, you’re going to look great in the photos and videos.

📸 Logical Photo

🏆 It’s a such privilege to host weeknight grassroots races at Velo Sports Center where we can get a preview of the speed and personalities we’ll see at the Pan American Games! Thank you to our visitors and local racers for a fantastic night of racing! 🙏

Formula 1:
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Femme 1:
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Formula 2:
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🥉 Sebastian “SeaBass” Pena ()
Femme 2:
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Formula 3:
🥇 .mccreesh
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🥉 John Bergman

Tonight’s Formula 1 field is stacked: Venezuela’s Clever Martinez and Peru’s Gonzalo Olivos are in town and we can’t wait to see the showdown with our local racers! The only thing we know for certain is the podium will feature some great hair!

📺 The Skunkworks YouTube livestream is back! As always, spectating is free, but if you can’t make it to Velo Sports Center, you can watch it on YouTube and follow along with live results. https://youtube.com/live/3akFtWIZSOs?feature=share

📋 Register now at BikeReg and sign both waivers electronically. When you arrive at VSC, head straight downstairs (through the back door) and we'll swap your $5 cash for a race number.

The third link in our bio linktree will take you directly to BikeReg. Register ASAP, you don’t want to miss out!
https://www.bikereg.com/skunkworks-weeknight-racing-winter-series-march-6

📸 Snakegod

We’re making the most of our chance to ride and race at Velo Sports Center in March before the 2024 Pan American Track Cycling Championships April 3-7!

📚 Sunday School – March 3, 10, and 17: THREE sessions!
⏱️ Time Trials – March 24: Last TT before PanAm Champs - see how you perform against the Pan American cyclists who arrive early to LA!
🏁 Weeknight Races – March 6 + 20: Last two nights of $5 grassroots races until the Fall!

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🏆 What a night at Velo Sports Center! The podiums were so much fun with the cash that generous trackies give us on top of their entry fees (thank you so much!). We’re absolutely loving putting the cash directly back into the hands of racers and making the most of those podium dollar bills!

Formula 1:
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Femme 1:
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Formula 2:
🥇 Vidal Estrada
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🥉 Sebastian “SeaBass” Pena ()
Femme 2:
🥇 Denedra Woods ()
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Formula 3:
🥇 Sascha Hagobian ()
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📺 The Skunkworks YouTube livestream is back for tomorrow’s races! As always, spectating is free, but if you can’t make it to Velo Sports Center, you can watch it on YouTube and follow along with live results. https://youtube.com/live/zWRYfJ9leXI?feature=share

📋 Register for the Feb 21st race now at BikeReg and sign both waivers electronically. When you arrive at VSC, head straight downstairs (through the back door) and we’ll swap your $5 cash for a race number.

The third link in our bio will take you directly to BikeReg. Register ASAP, you don’t want to miss out!
https://www.bikereg.com/skunkworks-weeknight-racing-winter-series-february-21

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⏱️Time trials are known as “The Race of Truth” because your cunning and racecraft doesn’t give you an advantage against your competition — it’s the rider against the clock. It’s time to get honest with yourself by setting a 2024 baseline time SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18th at Velo Sports Center.

But hold onto your aerobars: there will be NO on-site registration; don’t be that person who shows up last minute only to be turned away. Pre-register now to make sure you get in on the action – space is limited and we don’t want you to miss out.

Registration is on BikeReg: https://www.bikereg.com/skunkworks-track-racing-time-trial-feb-18

Don’t be caught with your brakes on because there will be ABSOLUTELY NO on-site registration. Pre-register now, we know you love the sound of that countdown clock.

🏆 Podiums and cash payouts! We absolutely love the passion of grassroots track racers, so when a couple of generous trackies gave us extra cash on top of their entry fees (thank you so much!), we put it directly into podium prize envelopes!

Formula 1:
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Femme 1:
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Formula 2:
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Formula 3:
🥇 Vem Hagobian ()
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🎥 We love the idea of broadcasting our races and like any good Skunkworks project, we’re prototyping it first and we’d love if you joined us! It won’t be a full multimedia production yet, so bear with us as we learn the ropes.

Tonight:
📹 Livestream: YouTube, like and subscribe to: “Skunkworks Track Cycling” https://youtube.com/live/i6tRei7arUA?feature=share
🎙 Al Nash, “The Voice of the LA Velodrome” announcing
🏆 Podiums: Top 3 omnium winners in all FIVE categories

We’re confident that when people watch the amazing racing here on Wednesday nights, they’ll start understanding why we love track racing so much and just how exciting the racing is at Velo Sports Center

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Leave us alone, we’re busy filing paper waivers! J/K, but why spend your warmup and socializing time at the track filling out the paper Velo Sports Center and USAC waivers?!

Register for the Feb 7th race now at BikeReg and avoid the headache by signing both waivers electronically. We understand and we still love you if you need to register in person, but leave that handwritten paperwork back in 2023.

Please, do us a favor: if you sign up and can’t make it, just DM us or send us an email. We understand, things come up and sometimes your plans change. Just let us know - if we think you’re coming and you don’t show up, we’ll worry.

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There’s so much going on at Velo Sports Center this month, we needed an extra day in February to accommodate all the action!

📚 Sunday School - Feb. 4: Just one Sunday School session this month and we’ll focus on time trials!
⏱️ Time Trials - Feb 18: The first “race of truth” of 2024!
🏁 Weeknight Races - Feb 7 + 21: Two Wed nights of $5 grassroots races!

In non-Skunk velodrome news, there’s the US Paralympics Track Cycling Open Feb 10-11 and the LA Galaxy vs. Inter Miami CF on Feb 25 (Lionel Messi is so popular, the velodrome will be closed!). We’ll miss our Sunday friends like crazy, but we’ll return to regular Sunday School programming in March!

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Quick post since we’re exhausted after an AMAZING night of racing, but we guarantee many photos will follow!

We’ve resisted having podiums because we want to reward participation, not just the 3 fastest folks. However, a couple of generous trackies gave us extra cash (thank you so much!) and we wanted to keep that money in circulation, so we gave out envelopes containing exactly $5. 💵

There’s nothing that makes a racer feel more pro than a prize money envelope - sorry it’s not more, but hey, you covered your entry fees!

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