Events: Doylestown Bike Works Presents: Gold Sprints 2018 Preview

All photos are courtesy of Mike Maney Photography. Be sure to check out his work; he is a fellow cyclist in the Bucks County cycling community with multiple KOMs to his name.

(2018) Nobody knows for sure when the first handshake happened, though there are many theories behind the friendly gripping of a familiar someone’s right hand and wiggling it up and down. It is one of those daily gestures many possibly never question its genesis. Regardless of the origin, the handshake is a symbol of greeting someone in a kindly manner. What happens afterwards is hardly worth recording.

According to some theorists, the handshake may have come about for many reasons, all of which had to do with weaponry. There is the theory that extending the right hand signified the approaching person was not clearly armed. Theorists continue to believe the up-and-down motion could suggest an attempt to shake any weapons up the sleeve of the engaged. Some have suggested the right hand is significant because it was the dominant fighting hand. In olden times Lefties needed not to apply. The left hand was sinister. The earliest depiction of a handshake goes back to the ninth century BCE. Perhaps we have been reaching out to friendlies for more than three thousand years.

Handshakes are remarkable especially in sport. Anyone who played soccer (football) as a kid can remember the barely-there handshake after the game. Actually it was a continuous high-five but the intention was admirable. There’s the incredible moment at the end of each NHL playoff series, after guys have annihilated each other to win a best-of-seven series, end all hostilities with a peaceful handshake. In the cycling world the top performing riders shake hands with each other as well as the race organizers during the podium ceremonies to highlight a job-well-done.

Team kits and costumes are equally welcome at Doylestown Bike Works Gold Sprints.

Yet again the handshake will come out for Doylestown Bike Works’ Gold Sprints on February 10 at Puck Live in Doylestown, PA. Gold Sprints are a head-to-head race on fork anchored fixed gear bikes. Racers go against each other to see who can cover the 300-meter distance the fastest. There are men and women’s categories. There are costumed participants. Given the location is a bar, there is a lot of heckling just in case you think you got this whole thing covered. Participant or fan, this event has something for everyone.

While the night will see many riders give his or her opponent an introductory or parting handshake, cyclists are a competitive bunch. The participants of the Doylestown Bike Works Goldsprints for 2018 are beyond the handshake when they see each other around town. They go for the next greeting when speaking the language. It’s not enough to shake hands in the offseason. It’s perfectly acceptable to greet another cyclist on the sidewalk by asking, “You doing Goldsprints?” It’s already understood there are no weapons up each other’s sleeve for the shaking. That will all come out on February 10 at Puck Live. 

Register here for Doylestown Bike Works' Goldsprints at Puck Live February 10.