Early history of the sport

CYCLING
Early history of the sport
Cycling as a sport officially began on May 31, 1868, with a 1,200-metre (1,312-yard) race between the fountains and the entrance of Saint-Cloud Park (near Paris). The winner was James Moore, an 18-year-old expatriate Englishman from Paris. On November 7, 1869, the first city-to-city race was held between Paris and Rouen; again Moore was the winner, having covered the 135 km (84 miles) in 10 hours 25 minutes, including time spent walking his bicycle up the steeper hills. While road racing became common within a few years in continental Europe, in England the deteriorated conditions of the roads made them unsuitable, and therefore the sport there focused on the track or time trials.

In the United States the first recorded race was held on May 24, 1878, in Boston, two years after the start of professional baseball and 13 years before basketball was invented. Almost all of the early American racing was on tracks, in long races sometimes employing pacers who rode ahead of contestants at a fast speed and then dropped away. By the 1890s there were about 100 dirt, cement, or wooden tracks around the country, mainly in big cities. More than 600 professionals traveled on this national circuit, which ranged from Boston to San Francisco, with competitions in such cities as St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Los Angeles. The sport received an enormous publicity boost on June 30, 1899, when one of these riders, Charles M. Murphy, rode on a wooden track behind a Long Island Rail Road train and covered a mile in 57.8 seconds, earning the nickname of Mile-a-Minute Murphy.

A particularly grueling form of racing flourished in the United States in the 1890s: the six-day race, 142 hours (since the races usually started at midnight and ended, six days later, at 10 PM) of nonstop competition with prizes up to $10,000 and an international field of riders. This form of racing was transformed with the change from one-man teams to two-man teams in 1899, and six-day races retained their popularity well into the 1930s. While no longer held in the United States, these races continue to attract large crowds in Belgium, Italy, France, and Germany.

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Modern sport racing
The development of racing as a popular sport in Europe began in the 1890s with the improvement in road conditions and the introduction of some of the one-day classics that continue to this day (for example, the Paris-Roubaix race). After France and Belgium, races were introduced in Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. In 1903 the 21-day-long Tour de France was inaugurated and has continued every year since except during World Wars I and II. Ranking just behind this premier race are the grand three-week tours of Italy (the Giro d’Italia) and Spain (the Vuelta a España). Usually, the Giro is held in May and June, the Tour de France in July, the Vuelta in September, and the World Championships in October. Prizes in these races are substantial, amounting to $2.5 million in the Tour de France alone.

European road racing was under the sponsorship of bicycle manufacturers until the late 1920s, when national and regional teams were introduced. Trade sponsors returned after World War II but with the waning of bicycle manufacturers, teams began turning to various sponsors, including automobile manufacturers, insurance companies, and banks. The professional road-racing season now begins in January with races in Australia and Malaysia, continues from February through October in Europe and the United States, and closes, again in Asia, in November and December. For most riders, the season includes about 120 days of competition spread over eight months.

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With the waning of six-day races during the Depression in the United States, American interest in cycling began to fade until the 1980s. American riders dominated the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, and in 1986 Greg LeMond won the first of his three Tours de France, rekindling American interest. In England, racing declined in popularity after the turn of the 20th century, with the advent of the automobile; despite the occasional Briton who makes a career as a professional on the Continent and a sporadic series of races, such as the Milk Race and the Prutour, both now defunct, the sport remains marginal. Hindering the growth of the sport in England is the public clamour that arises whenever a road is closed for a bicycle race. In Asia and Australia, however, there is no such resistance, and the roads are usually lined with spectators for such races as the Tour Down Under in Australia, the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia, and the Japan Cup. These races attract many professional teams from Europe and the United States. Many other Asian countries have races also, mainly for amateur teams from the region.
Road and track races for men were held at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896; women entered Olympic competition in road races in 1984 and track races in 1988. Mountain biking, a cross-country race over rough terrain, became an Olympic event for men and women at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. The Atlanta Games also marked the first Olympics at which professionals were allowed to enter the road race and time trial competitions.

Competition

Nakano Koichi racing at the 1986 World Track Championships
Nakano Koichi racing at the 1986 World Track Championships
The sport is governed overall by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), which is based in Switzerland, and by each country’s cycling federation. Amateur races are held for both men and women in local, regional, and national competition by age group, ranging upward in age from competitors 12 to 13 years old. In the World Championships, amateurs are no longer differentiated from professionals among men, but the sport is divided into those under 23, called espoirs (hopefuls), and those over that age. Categories of competition during the season include time trials, which can be an individual or team event; one-day, or classic, races in which distances can vary between 200 and 280 km (124 to 175 miles) for professionals and 140 to 200 km (87 to 124 miles) for amateurs; and multiday, or stage, races, basically a series of classic races run on successive days. The winner of a stage race is the rider with lowest aggregate time for all stages. Also popular, especially in Britain and the United States, are criterium races, which are run over a relatively short distance of 4 to 5 km (2.5 to 3 miles) for a succession of laps totaling up to 100 km (62 miles).

Track racing events include the sprint, the pursuit, the one-kilometre time trial, the points race, and the keirin, or motor-paced race. Keirin is especially popular in Japan because betting on the outcome is legal there, much like a horse or dog race. Some European track stars ride on the keirin circuit in Japan, both for the experience and for the salary. Cyclo-cross, or cross-country racing, established in the mid-1920s, covers rough terrain that may require racers to dismount and walk or run with their bicycles. Mountain biking, over rough terrain, but usually downhill rather than on the flat, is increasingly popular. One difference between cyclo-cross and mountain-bike racing is that cyclo-cross riders are allowed to ride up to three bicycles during a race, whereas in mountain-bike competition the cyclist must carry all the tools necessary to fix the bicycle, as only one bicycle may be used during a race. One other recent form of racing is bicycle motocross (BMX) racing, which can be traced to motocross racing. Racers (children and adults) ride on dirt tracks which feature a large number of jumps and turns. BMX racing is very popular in the United States, Europe, and Australia. In 2008 BMX racing made its Olympic debut at the Beijing Games in the form of a men’s individual race and a women’s individual race.

Doping
The use of performance-enhancing drugs is considered to be widespread in cycling, especially after the scandal that shook the Tour de France in 1998 and resulted in the expulsion of one of the leading teams (the Festina team). To circumvent the medications prohibited by the UCI, many professional teams and individual riders employ doctors to administer drugs that are difficult to detect, such as erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that acts to increase the level of red blood cells and thus the flow of oxygen to muscles. The UCI periodically checks riders for the level of red cells in their blood, with a limit of 50 percent (55 percent for riders from high-altitude regions); anything above that is regarded as an indication of the use of EPO and carries a two-year suspension. Stimulants and antifatigue drugs such as amphetamines are detectable and therefore outmoded performance-enhancing drugs.

Recreation

Cycling as recreation became organized shortly after racing did. In its early days, cycling brought the sexes together in an unchaperoned way, particularly after the 1880s when cycling became more accessible owing to the invention of the Rover Safety bicycle. Public cries of alarm at the prospect of moral chaos arose from this and from the evolution of women’s cycling attire, which grew progressively less enveloping and restrictive.

In modern times, recreational cycling has been a cornerstone in fitness campaigns, especially in the United States, where more than 65 million people are believed to ride regularly, including more than 6 million who use bicycles to commute. Bicycle and touring clubs abound in Europe, especially in France, Belgium, Italy, and England. Touring by bicycle (cyclotourism) is also on the increase worldwide. Bicycle paths have been created on the streets of many cities and in national as well as municipal parks, and in the United States more than 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of abandoned railroad corridors have been turned into bicycle paths.

Transportation
Since its invention, the bicycle has always been an inexpensive and democratic form of transportation. The advent of the automobile slowed the growth of cycling as a means of conveyance in some Western societies, whereas in China and Southeast Asia the bicycle has remained a very popular form of transportation. In Africa and several central European nations many people travel by bicycle. In the 1990s citizens and city planners in industrialized nations began to question the role of the automobile in urban life; some observers blamed the problem of suburban sprawl in countries such as the United States directly on the rise of automobile-based planning and designs. International groups such as Critical Mass formed to encourage traffic laws and city design more conducive to cycling.
Whether it’s to boost your fitness, health or bank balance, or an environmental choice, taking up bicycle riding could be one of the best decisions you ever make.
Not convinced on the benefits of cycling? Here are 27 reasons to ride a bike, whether you want to improve your health, happiness, relationships or all three.
The health benefits of regular cycling
1
Boost your bowels
According to experts from Bristol University, the benefits of cycling extend deep into your core.
“Physical activity helps decrease the time it takes food to move through the large intestine, limiting the amount of water absorbed back into your body and leaving you with softer stools, which are easier to pass,” explains Harley Street gastroenterologist Dr Ana Raimundo.
In addition, aerobic exercise accelerates your breathing and heart rate, which helps to stimulate the contraction of intestinal muscles. “As well as preventing you from feeling bloated, this helps protect you against bowel cancer,” Dr Raimundo says.
2
Increase your brain power
Need your grey matter to sparkle? Then get pedalling. Researchers from the University of Illinois found that a 5 per cent improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness from cycling led to an improvement of up to 15 per cent in mental tests.
That’s because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus – the region responsible for memory, which deteriorates from the age of 30.
“It boosts blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which fires and regenerates receptors, explaining how exercise helps ward off Alzheimer’s,” says the study’s author, Professor Arthur Kramer.

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3
Beat illness
Is cycling good for you? Yes! Forget apples, riding’s the way to keep the doctor at bay. “Moderate exercise makes immune cells more active, so they’re ready to fight off infection,” says Cath Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital in London.
In fact, according to research from the University of North Carolina, people who cycle for 30 minutes, five days a week take about half as many sick days as couch potatoes.
4
Live longer
King’s College London compared over 2,400 identical twins and found those who did the equivalent of just three 45-minute rides a week were nine years ‘biologically younger’ even after discounting other influences, such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking.
“Those who exercise regularly are at significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, all types of cancer, high blood pressure and obesity,” says Dr Lynn Cherkas, who conducted the research. “The body becomes much more efficient at defending itself and regenerating new cells.”

Save the planet and explore by bike. Win-win. Joseph Branston
5
Save the planet
Twenty bicycles can be parked in the same space as one car. It takes around 5 per cent of the materials and energy used to make a car to build a bike, and a bike produces zero pollution.
Bikes are efficient, too. You travel around three times as fast as walking for the same amount of energy and, taking into account the ‘fuel’ you put in your ‘engine’, you do the equivalent of 2,924 miles to the gallon. You have your weight ratio to thank: you’re about six times heavier than your bike, but a car is 20 times heavier than you.
6
Cycling improves your sex life
Being more physically active improves your vascular health, which has the knock-on effect of boosting your sex drive, according to health experts in the US.
One study from Cornell University also concluded that male athletes have the sexual prowess of men two to five years younger, with physically fit females delaying the menopause by a similar amount of time.
Meanwhile, research carried out at Harvard University found that men aged over 50 who cycle for at least three hours a week have a 30 per cent lower risk of impotence than those who do little exercise.

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  It’s official: cycling is good for your sex life
  

7
It’s good breeding
A ‘bun in the oven’ could benefit from your riding as much as you. According to research from Michigan University in the US, mums-to-be who regularly exercise during pregnancy have an easier, less complicated labour, recover faster and enjoy better overall mood throughout the nine months.
Your pride and joy also has a 50 per cent lower chance of becoming obese and enjoys better in-utero neurodevelopment.
“There’s no doubt that moderate exercise such as cycling during pregnancy helps condition the mother and protect the foetus,” says Patrick O’Brien, a spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

• 
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8
Heal your heart
Studies from Purdue University in the US have shown that regular cycling can cut your risk of heart disease by 50 per cent. And according to the British Heart Foundation, around 10,000 fatal heart attacks could be avoided each year if people kept themselves fitter.
Cycling just 20 miles a week reduces your risk of heart disease to less than half that of those who take no exercise, it says.

Warning: cycling may induce happiness. Etienne Schoeman
9
Your boss will love you
No, we don’t mean your Lycra-clad buttocks will entice your superiors into a passionate office romance, but they’ll appreciate what cycling does for your usefulness to the company.
A study of 200 people carried out by the University of Bristol found that employees who exercised before work or at lunchtime improved their time and workload management, and it boosted their motivation and their ability to deal with stress.

The study also reported that workers who exercised felt their interpersonal performance was better, they took fewer breaks and found it easier to finish work on time. Sadly, the study didn’t find a direct link between cycling and getting a promotion.

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10
Cycle away from the big C
There’s plenty of evidence that any exercise is useful in warding off cancer, but some studies have shown that cycling is specifically good for keeping your cells in working order.
One long-term study carried out by Finnish researchers found that men who exercised at a moderate level for at least 30 minutes a day were half as likely to develop cancer as those who didn’t.
And what was one of the moderate forms of exercise they cited? Cycling to work. Other studies have found that women who cycle frequently reduce their risk of breast cancer by 34 per cent.
11
Lose weight by riding your bike
Loads of people who want to shift some heft think that heading out for a jog is the best way to start slimming down. But while running does burn a ton of fat, it’s not kind to you if you’re a little larger than you’d like to be.
Think about it: two to three times your body weight goes crashing through your body when your foot strikes the ground. If you weigh 16 stone that’s a lot of force!
Instead, start out on a bike. Most of your weight is taken by the saddle, so your skeleton doesn’t take a battering. Running can wait…

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12
You’ll make more money
If you’re cycling to lose weight then you could be in line for a cash windfall… Well, sort of. Researcher Jay Zagorsky, from Ohio State University, analysed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth – which saw 7,300 people regularly interviewed between 1985 and 2000 – to see how their obesity and wealth changed over that period.
Zagorsky concluded that a one unit increase in body mass index (BMI) score corresponded to an £800 or 8 per cent reduction in wealth. So, shed a few BMI points on the bike and start earning. (Results may vary.)

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Cyclists breathe in fewer fumes on the street than drivers. Daniel Banham
13
Avoid pollution
You’d think a city cyclist would suck up much more pollution than the drivers and passengers in the vehicles chucking out the noxious gases. Not so, according to a study carried out by Imperial College London.
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Researchers found that passengers in buses, taxis and cars inhaled substantially more pollution than cyclists and pedestrians.
On average, taxi passengers were exposed to more than 100,000 ultrafine particles – which can settle in the lungs and damage cells – per cubic centimetre. Bus passengers sucked up just under 100,000 and people in cars inhaled about 40,000.
Cyclists, meanwhile, were exposed to just 8,000 ultrafine particles per cubic centimetre. It’s thought that cyclists breathe in fewer fumes because we ride at the edge of the road and, unlike drivers, aren’t directly in the line of exhaust smoke.
14
Bike riding means guilt-free snacks
Upping your salt intake is seldom your doctor’s advice, but in the few days leading up to a big ride or sportive that’s exactly what you should do. This gives you the perfect excuse to munch on crisps and other salty foods you might normally avoid.
The sodium in them helps protect your body against hyponatraemia, a condition caused by drinking too much water without enough sodium that can lead to disorientation, illness and worse.

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15
Enjoy healthy family time
Cycling is an activity the whole family can do together. The smallest tyke can clamber into a bike seat or tow-along buggy, and because it’s kind on your joints, there’s nothing to stop grandparents joining in too.
Moreover, your riding habit could be sowing the seeds for the next Bradley Wiggins or Marianne Vos. Studies have found that, unsurprisingly, kids are influenced by their parents’ exercise choices.
Put simply, if your kids see you riding regularly, they think it’s normal and will want to follow your example. Don’t be surprised, though, if they become embarrassed by your tendency to mismatch fluorescent Lycra when they become teenagers.

Get the whole family involved. Tom Marvin / Immediate Media

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16
Get better at any sport
Whether you want to keep in prime shape or just improve your weekly tennis game, a stint in the saddle is the way to begin.
A recent medical study from Norway carried the title Aerobic Endurance Training Improves Soccer Performance, which makes it pretty clear that the knock-on benefits to other sports and activities are immense.
17
Make creative breakthroughs
Writers, musicians, artists, top executives and all kinds of other professionals use exercise to solve mental blocks and make decisions – including Jeremy Paxman, Sir Alan Sugar and Spandau Ballet.
A study found that just 25 minutes of aerobic exercise boosts at least one measure of creative thinking. Credit goes to the flow of oxygen to your grey matter when it matters most, sparking your neurons and giving you breathing space away from the muddle and pressures of ‘real life’.
18
You’re helping others
Many cyclists turn their health, fitness and determination into fundraising efforts for the less fortunate. The London to Brighton bike ride has raised over £40 million for the British Heart Foundation since the two became involved in 1980, with countless other rides contributing to the coffers of worthy causes.
19
You can get fit without trying too hard
Regular, everyday cycling has huge benefits that can justify you binning your wallet-crippling gym membership.
According to the National Forum for Coronary Heart Disease Foundation in the US, regular cyclists enjoy a fitness level equal to that of a person who’s 10 years younger.
20
Boost your bellows
No prizes for guessing that the lungs work considerably harder than usual when you ride. Generally, an adult cycling uses 10 times the oxygen they’d need to sit in front of the TV for the same period.
Even better, regular cycling will help strengthen your cardiovascular system over time, enabling your heart and lungs to work more efficiently and getting more oxygen where it’s needed quicker. This means you can do more exercise for less effort. How good does that sound?
21
Burn more fat
Sports physiologists have found that the body’s metabolic rate – the efficiency with which it burns calories and fat – is not only raised during a ride, but for several hours afterwards.
“Even after cycling for 30 minutes, you could be burning a higher amount of total calories for a few hours after you stop,” says sports physiologist Mark Simpson of Loughborough University.
And as you get fitter, the benefits are more profound. One recent study showed that cyclists who incorporated fast intervals into their ride burned three-and-a-half times more body fat than those who cycled constantly but at a slower pace.

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Addicted to cycling? We know we are! Mick Kirkman / Immediate Media
22
You’re developing a positive addiction
Replace a harmful dependency – such as cigarettes, alcohol or eating too much chocolate – with a positive one, says William Glasser, author of Positive Addiction.
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The result? You’re a happier, healthier person getting the kind of fix that boosts the good things in life.
23
Get (a legal) high
Once a thing of myth, the infamous ‘runner’s high’ has been proven beyond doubt by German scientists. Yet, despite the name, this high is applicable to all endurance athletes.
University of Bonn neurologists visualised endorphins in the brains of 10 volunteers before and after a two-hour cardio session using a technique called positive emission tomography (PET).
Comparing the pre- and post-run scans, they found evidence of more opiate binding of the happy hormone in the frontal and limbic regions of the brain – areas known to be involved in emotional processing and dealing with stress.
“There’s a direct link between feelings of wellbeing and exercise, and for the first time this study proves the physiological mechanism behind that,” explains study co-ordinator Professor Henning Boecker.

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24
Make friends and stay healthy
The social side of riding could be doing you as much good as the actual exercise and health benefits. University of California researchers found socialising releases the hormone oxytocin, which buffers the ‘fight or flight’ response.
Another nine-year study from Harvard Medical School found those with the most friends cut the risk of an early death by more than 60 per cent, reducing blood pressure and strengthening their immune system.
The results were so significant that the researchers concluded not having close friends or confidants is as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight. Add in the fitness element of cycling too and you’re onto a winner.
25
It’ll make you happy
Even if you’re miserable when you saddle up, cranking through the miles will lift your spirits.
“Any mild-to-moderate exercise releases natural feel-good endorphins that help counter stress and make you happy,” explains Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.
That’s probably why four times more GPs prescribe exercise therapy as their most common treatment for depression compared to three years ago.
“Just three 30-minute sessions a week can be enough to give people the lift they need,” says McCulloch