Events: Doylestown Bike Works Goldsprints 2019 Preview

(2019) Right now there are racers across the Delaware Valley in their basements or garages preparing. Instead of focusing on accruing mileage, they are satisfied with short, explosive efforts. The explosion produces blurry legs, hissing exhalations, and a sudden stop. What in god’s name is everyone getting ready for? 

While the Spring Classics are a right of passage for professional cyclists in the Grand Tour, the Doylestown Bike Works Goldsprints, held this year on March 3 at Poco’s in Doylestown, PA, will open the gates on the 2019 calendar. It is partial bike race, partial circus, and whatever is left over can be excreted into the boot bucket, one next to each bike. Let’s all try to keep our Strava accounts muted for the night.

In the fourth venue, Doylestown Bike Works will bring out two formats of racing: Roller races with fork mounted bikes for the Goldsprints and professionals on full rollers with track bikes for the Boldsprints. The races are 300 meters and 500 meters, respectively. Every once in a while a ringer sneaks in through the back door, registers under a pseudonym, dismantles the whole field, throws a smoke grenade down, and is seen confused in the wrong corner of the stage looking for the exit. I have been in secret talks with Max Levy to sign up under my name.

Doylestown Bike Works Goldsprints goes a little something like this. Consider taking Monday off. Photo courtesy Mike Maney.

Perhaps the free entry is not enough to sway you onto the bike to either emerge as the dark horse or get a free feature on social media. The second best part of Doylestown Bike Works’ Goldsprints is the spectator friendly atmosphere. Bring an appetite, a friend, and a book full of jokes. Poco’s has a comedy stage – which Goldsprints is using - so make sure you bring the A material. Who knows, you may even leave with some swag from the raffles. 

Each year the Goldsprints seem to outdo themselves. If you were in attendance at 2018’s edition, you will remember what you wore that day. It was one of those defining moments in the history of Doylestown. Luckily the public records office was a couple hundred feet away for them to reject our application for submission into the archives. Before Sunday March 3, that weird blurring of legs on trainers will continue until a satisfactory cadence is met. For the dress rehearsal, the boot bucket will have to be off to the side of the front wheel. Be at Poco’s the first Sunday in March. Show up to race, leave when your voice gives out.