Breakaway's Prokopek Ranks with the Best at "Roller Race for the Velodrome"
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Congratulations to one of Breakaway’s best as bike courier and Cat 3 racer Mike Prokopec turned in an Olympic quality performance at the “Roller Race for the Velodrome” on January 19.
Mike, a regular on the roller racing scene, took 5th overall in a field dominated by former and future Olympians, and in his second heat came within a 1/2 second of beating 1988 Olympian Bobby Livingston who ultimately ceded first place to Matt Diefenback.
The race was a benefit to support the development of a state-of-the-art velodrome complex at the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx. All racers started with a 500-meter sprint against the clock, followed by a series of 1K elimination rounds pairing competitors against each other. WABC (Channel 7) came out to cover the festivities and interviewed Prokopec and other racers.