Bicycle Racing The Oldest Sport

2011
Leave a Comment

Bicycle racing was the first race on wheels which was rode by a man. These races have been conducted since ages and still continue to be the major sport. These races are tougher and are full of excitement. There are tournaments held and riders from all over the world take part in these. There are many youngsters who are crazy about this sport and have opted this as their professional. These races are held anywhere in the world, it can be a rocky area, a desert or a mountain. These riders are ready to showcase their riding capabilities anywhere to prove themselves best.

These tournaments are attended by many people from around the world some come to watch the unusual stunts and some come to support their hero. At the start of the race you will find all the riders riding behind each other but after a while you can see these riders divided into groups some are ahead and some are left behind in those groups there are few who are trying to stay ahead on the first position.

Some riders even face the worst and are injured during this race as the hilly and rocky area is suffered mostly by the person who is at the first position and he does not know what is ahead where as a person who is second is always learning from the mistakes done by the first one. In fact the first rider in the race is guiding the second one and alerting them on what lies ahead. These races are held on steep mountains with very narrow road which will have place for just one or two riders at the same time.

Filed Under: Bicycle Tagged With: , ,

Cycle Racing Origins

2010
Leave a Comment
Léon Flameng and Paul Masson, the French cycli...
Image via Wikipedia

Nearly as early as man invented other forms of transportation, thought changed from is this safe to how this go faster? From the chariots races at the Coliseum to the howling race cars zipping past audiences today, the fascination with speed seems to be as old as recorded civilization. While technology has allowed man to go faster than ever before, the sport of cycling has greatly evolved over time.

The first popular bike race is usually attributed to the 1868 race at the Parc De Saint-Cloud in Paris, France. The race was only 1,200 meters long and was won by a rider on a wooden bicycle. The popularity of bike racing took off after the event, but the type of race depended almost entirely on the technology behind the construction of the bike. A wooden bike could not handle the type of wear and tear that an off-road long distance race would take.

For example, the first major popular race between to cities occurred between Paris and Rouen on Nov. 7 1869. The race was 123 kilometers long or 76 miles and it took winner James Moore 10 hours and 40 minutes to complete the race. A portion of Moore’s time was spent walking his bike up steep hills. Moore’s bike looked nothing like modern racing bikes. It featured a large front wheel that might have helped the bike to travel faster, but did nothing to improve the safety of cycle racing. During this long distance race 120 riders took place, but only 34 were able to finish the race within in 24 hours.

Compared to modern racing, Moore’s victory looks to have been won in epic fashion. He finished 15 minutes ahead of the nearest racer. The first popular long distance race also included two women. While modern racing might be tarnished by performing enhancing drugs and blood doping, the race organizers in that era had less trouble discovering the cheaters. Some of the rules of the race included banning sails and being pulled by dogs. From these humble origins the sport of cycling was born.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Cycling, Sports Tagged With: , ,

Bicycle Safety was good Business

2010
Leave a Comment
Orbea Ordu
Image via Wikipedia

Bicycles have numerous benefits to the health. Exercise a component often forgotten in American life is one. Getting outdoors is another benefit, as getting people off the couch and into nature for sunlight and recreation can have benefits to morale that cause unquantifiable health benefits. Despite all the positive health benefits of bicycling as recreation, all of the exercise and clean air a person can handle cannot make up for the injures suffered during a bike accident.

Historically speaking , bicycle safety has been one of the reasons why bike riding did not take off initially. The earliest of bikes were built to be only functional. Engineers were not beholden to any type of safety regulations because lawmakers barely knew about the then new technology let alone how to regulate riders. As a result, new designs were built for whatever the customer demanded rather than worrying about the best interests of the riders. In the nascent stage of cycling the sport was considered to be the reckless hobby of daredevils. The Victorian values of the mid-nineteenth century frowned upon women taking part in such a precarious endeavor.

Seeking speed over safety riders took on any innovation that would turn them into speed demons, often dead, crippled or injured speed demons but that was an accepted part of cycle racing in the early stages of the sport. Perhaps to the chagrin of cycling purists of that era, bike riding became more widespread. And as a result the economic interests of manufacturers meant appealing to a wider audience.

While the chivalrous might have been willing to accept death as a consequence of riding a bike the general public preferred a smoother ride. The 1880s saw the launching of the safety bicycle, and the name included the appeal. It was safe to ride, at least by the standards of the day. While future innovations such as helmets or lights had yet to be implemented, simply including safety in the design proved to be good for the business of cycling. And as business boomed it ensured further bicycle safety enhancements.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Bicycle Tagged With: , , ,

Armstrong Announces New Bike Race in Colorado

2010
Leave a Comment
Lance Armstrong and John Korioth in the team t...
Image via Wikipedia

Lance Armstrong, undeniably the most famous bicyclist in the United States, has announced that he will hold a professional cycling competition in Colorado. The Quiznos Pro Challenge is planned for August 22-28, 2011. It will be the only professional bike race in the state. Until 1988, the state was home to the Coors International Bicycle Classic. Since then, though, there has not been a pro-event in Colorado.

When asked whether he would participate in the race, Armstrong laughed before saying that he had not made up his mind.

Like many professional athletes who excel in their sport, Armstrong has had a difficult time letting go of the glory. He official retired from professional racing in 2005. Four years later, though, he competed in the 2009 Tour de France, where he took third place.

Armstrong, now 38, says that he cannot recover from crashes as quickly as he could in his 20s. This has created serious reservations in his mind about whether he should continue racing competitively. That does not mean, however, that he has gotten off the bike for good. In fact, he stated during the press event that he had recently spent four hours on a bike just because he felt like it.

Armstrong has been toying with the idea of starting an event in Colorado for several years. The idea first came to him while riding along the state’s roads. He realized that, despite the region’s scenic beauty and challenging terrain, there was not a professional biking event in the state. His daydream will soon become a reality.

Even though Armstrong questions whether it is wise for him to compete in the race, he says that he is still committed to the sport. He might not continue to perform on the track against other professionals, but that does not mean that he has completely walked away from the sport that has defined much of his life to date.

One great way to take part int he race is to travel to Colorado and travel the course staying in vacation rentals and cheering on your favorite cyclist.

Filed Under: Bicycle, Cycling Tagged With: , , , , , , ,