Leisure Kicks - The essencial sport and leisure guide

A relatively modern sport, the first true bicycle wasn’t patented by Baron Karl von Drais until 1818. This early ‘running machine’ was actually just a pair of wagon wheels connected with a plank of wood from which a rider could sit and also run the contraption along the ground. The ‘velocipede’ as it was originally named, never caught on in a big way until being altered in the 1860s by the Michaux factory in Paris. Pedals and lever arms were added to help with propulsion and the first bicycle was born. What followed were varieties of bikes such as the lofty penny farthings, with their large pedal-bearing front wheels. It wasn’t until 1885 and the introduction of a chain and gear system that the more modern version of the bicycle began to form.

Almost immediately after this first modern bicycle was introduced, races began taking place. The first cycling race (1200m) was at the Parc of Saint-Cloud in Paris on the 31st May 1868. Until then, cyclists tended to concentrate on balancing and aerobics to entertain the crowds. The first races usually took place in cities where manufacturers could show off their latest products as bicycles developed. The first ever city to city race (between Paris and Rouen, a distance of 123km) took place on the 7th November 1869. Thirty years later, this became the epic Tour de France competition, which had its first run in 1903.

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The Tour de France passing through a town in 1906
Wikimedia Commons