Cycling's Golden Era

The six-day race phenomenon started in England in 1878, with just one race that didn't draw much interest. But when Madison Square Garden began staging its six-day races in 1891, the event became one of the most popular in American sports. Originally, individual riders competed, cycling as far as they could over a six-day period, taking breaks when and as they felt necessary.

Single-cyclist races were banned in 1898, so Madison Square Garden began staging six-day races as two-person relays. In the meantime, six-day racing had spread well beyond New York, to velodromes in Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, and many other major cities.