Cycling history Archives

Why It Took People So Long to Invent a Bicycle

November 1, 2023 at 9:58 pm4 min reading

Why did it take the human race thousands of years before a bicycle was invented? Presumably inspired by the disc shape of the sun, the Mesopotamian civilisation is credited for first using solid wheels that made moving even heavy cargo from one point to another…

How Over 130,00 Folding Bikes Backed up Paratroopers in Airborne Operations

August 23, 2023 at 6:50 pm2 min reading

Socialising and Culture

When 14,000 Canadian paratroopers landed in Juno Beach on D-Day in 1944, some of them carried unprecedented equipment: a folding bicycle. The practical part of the thing was hard to question as bikes were light, relatively fast, silent and easy to maintain. They were issued…

The 9 Greatest Innovations That Formed Road Cycling

August 4, 2023 at 6:00 am5 min reading

Socialising and Culture

Some might suggest other inventions but these nine belong on the no-brainer list. Do you agree?

The 1909 Giro d’Italia: How the Italian Grand Tour Was Born

May 10, 2023 at 7:32 pm4 min reading

Road cycling

The Giro d’Italia, one of the three Grand Tours of professional cycling, has captivated fans and challenged athletes since its inception in 1909. Organized by the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the first edition of the race was a grueling eight-stage competition that…

What We Can Learn from the Society for the Construction of Cycle Paths

April 7, 2023 at 8:19 am5 min reading

Socialising and Culture

On 4th March 2023, it was precisely 108 years that the Society for the Construction of Cycle Paths in the Gooi and Eemland region of the Netherlands was founded. Impressively, it is the last private “Cycle Path Society” and still exists today. So, you might…

The Astounding Story of a Wooden Chest I Found in the Attic

October 19, 2022 at 7:00 am5 min reading

Socialising and Culture

It was a little box. When Richard discovered it in the attic and picked it up, it rattled curiously. The sound from the inside fuelled his imagination. What could it be hiding? The expectation that a lost treasure could be in the attic has been…

A Short History of Cycling Outside the West

January 15, 2020 at 1:12 pm7 min reading

Socialising and Culture

When the bicycle first sailed the ocean to Asian and African countries, it didn’t make a good impression. On the contrary: the weird two-wheeled object was perceived as a suspicious thing imported by the not-so-beloved Western colonialists.

The Dark Side of the Bicycle Craze: Domestic Cycling

November 7, 2019 at 12:59 pm5 min reading

Socialising and Culture

For Victorian women, the invention of the so-called safety bicycle represented nothing short of a revolution. It’s the 1890s and womankind is allowed to hop on a saddle and pedal towards greater independence. This era, known as the ‘bicycle craze’, marked a crucial point in…

A Brief History of Braking Systems

October 9, 2019 at 3:47 pm6 min reading

Socialising and Culture

The attempts to reduce speed are an essential issue of cycling since its dawn. While the first pioneering solutions were as simple as braking with a sole of one’s shoe, the evolution stepped up a gear with the introduction of bicycles with pedals and drivetrain.…

PHOTO GALLERY: Relive the Old Days of the Tour de France

June 26, 2019 at 10:05 am5 min reading

Road cycling

With the start of the Grand Boucle almost upon us, it’s time to get into the holiday spirit with this “brand new” gallery of old cycling heroes. From climbing the Col du Galibier with Gino Bartali to the ecstatic face of Ferdi Kubler, these photos…