REDMOND, Wash. — The Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome in Redmond is a 400-meter bicycle racing track and is the only velodrome in the state of Washington.
Amara Edwards is a coach for the Jerry Baker junior team. This past year the team had six national champions.
"It feels amazing that our team has, like, grown to the point where, you know, we're like, now we have a lot of like different national champions," said Merrick Gallagher. "It's nice to know that all the hard work we've been putting in for months is paying off."
17-year-old Gallagher is from Redmond, and has rapidly emerged as a prominent talent in American cycling.
In 2024 Gallagher won seven national titles and was selected to represent the US at the World Championships in China.
"It's pretty special," Gallagher said. "I wasn't sure if I was going to make the cut until after nationals, and I was like yeah, I'm like, up there with some of the best in the nation. And so it was a great feeling and a very cool experience overall."
Initially, a multi-sport athlete that excelled in baseball, basketball, tennis, and soccer, Gallagher discovered his passion for track cycling just four years ago. He loves going fast.
"We get going up to, like, 40 miles an hour," Gallagher said. "It's pretty exhilarating, especially when you hit the bends and stuff. Speed is very important. If you want to win races, you gotta be fast."
Speed is key, but to be successful in cycling, you also need to be fearless.
"It's definitely frightening, especially with, like, how tall the track is when you, like, look down, but being afraid is just going to make your life a whole lot harder when you got to follow wheels pretty tightly because you want to be in the drafts and save energy," Gallagher said. "So, yeah, you can't really be afraid."
During the Paris Olympics, the United States won six medals in women's cycling events, the most ever in a single Olympics.
Now Gallagher said is hoping he can help get the U.S. men back on the Olympic podium one day.
"I think, one of my goals on the table, which is pretty like, far in the future, would be going to the Olympics," Gallagher said. "Just like even competing there would be, like, something really special. It would mean a lot."