1984: SPOTLIGHT ON USA OLYMPIC TRACKIES

My buddy Tyler has been doing a lot of digging around at the bike shop where he works and he’s been uncovering some real gems including this old copy of the Cal State Dominguez Hills magazine Directions from Spring of 1984. This was such an awesome time for Los Angeles as the world’s top competitors were coming together to see who’s the best of the best.

This is a pretty cool feature on USA’s ‘84 track squad including Nelson “The Cheetah” Vails, Mark Gorski and Mark Whitehead (who passed away earlier this year). With Gorski and Vails winning Gold and Silver in the Sprint tournament, the American team killed it that year. Five of the fifteen medals awarded in Track Cycling events stayed in the USA. Thanks for making us proud, gents!

Kudos to Tyler for scanning this page.

REST IN PEACE MARK WHITEHEAD

Former USA Olympian and revered coach Mark Whitehead passed away this week while attending Junior Track Nationals in Frisco, TX.

Whitehead held 20 National Champion titles and represented USA in the 1984 Olympics. He went on to coach many top cyclists like Sarah Hammer and Rahsaan Bahati. He will be missed by many.

Read an interview with Mark Whitehead at Fixed Gear Fever.