Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century in Europe and now number more than a billion worldwide, twice as many as automobiles. They are the principal means of transportation in many regions. They also provide a popular form of recreation and have been adapted for use as children’s toys, general fitness, military and police applications, courier services, and bicycle racing.
Here are the top ten cycling innovations in history that made cycling that popular, funny, and safe.
The first name of “gruppo” (groupset) came with the Campagnolo Gran Sport rear derailleur in 1953. Rear & front derailleurs, hubs, and levers were for the first time sold as part of a unique system – creating a “groupset”.
I finished reading “Maglia Rosa – Triumph and Tragedy at the Giro d’Italia” by Herbie Sykes. Now it’s Tour de France time, and I started to reading “Slaying the Badger” by Richard Moore.
On April 6, 2013, an interview with Graeme Obree has published in heraldscotland.com by Mark Smith, titled “Graeme Obree smashes the myth of sporting success”.
Four cyclists have died during the Giro d’Italia: Orfeo Ponsin (a.k.a. Orfeo Ponzin) (1952), Juan Manuel Santisteban (a.k.a. Juan Manuel Santiesteban) (1976), Emilio Ravasio (1986), and Wouter Weylandt (2011).
Winning races usually requires sprinting ability. If you’re racing a bike, as an amateur or professional, becoming a better sprinter can be the difference between 1st place or the 20th. So it’s crucial to learn how to sprint.
You can say “I am not a racer, why to work on my sprint?” Because sprinting is fun. It is pure play to go fast. Also, the ability to sprint is useful in emergencies, like evading a car that is coming at you from a side street or outrunning a chasing dog.
Yesterday, we climbed to Kartepe (means “snow mountain”), or formerly known as “Keltepe” (means “bald mountain”). With 1699 meters in height, Kartepe is the third highest mountain in the Marmara region of Turkey. There’s a ski resort atop it. With a 16.6 km length and 7.4% average gradient, the climb is categorized as Hors catégorie (HC) by Strava (a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is “beyond categorization”), and some sections are over 16%. We rode 188.8 km and climbed 3,468 meters in total.
Giovanni Rossignoli was the hidden winner of two Giri d’Italia. He never won the Italian grand tour, but, in fact, he was the fastest finisher – twice.
I finished reading “Put me back on my bike” by William Fotheringham, and now started a new book: “Maglia Rosa – Triumph and Tragedy at Giro d’Italia”, by Herbie Sykes. A great book about the history of the Giro d’Italia.
A very enjoyable story about the legendary Swiss cyclist Ferdi Kübler.
As I wrote before, these days I am reading William Fotheringham’s “Put Me Back On My Bike – In search of Tom Simpson”. Like all books of Fotheringham, it is a great book.