That is cool. Yep, it was picked up by AP, so the story got around. There are a couple of pro-level riders coming to town for the races this weekend.
The reporter above asked if there would be "Pro" riders this weekend. The response basically was - well there is a $5000 purse, so yeah - they are getting paid. (I guess that makes them professional ;-) Not many people have velodrome racing as their main source of income though).