The History of Cycling

The history of cycling is one that dates back as far as the 1800s. It is one of great importance and complexity, and especially if you are a cycling enthusiast yourself, you should be educated on the history of cycling so you can understand it better and give it the respect that it deserves.

What Started it All

Although it was in the early 1400s when a man named Giovanni Fontana built the first human powered land vehicle, it was not until 1817 when the first actual bicycle was developed. Invented by Karl Drais in response to the widespread starvation and slaughtering of horses, Drais was considered as a hero for his part in the history of cycling by many.

The safety bike was created in 1890, and this model was considered as being much safer than those in the past, most of which had one wheel much larger than the other. The safety bike was invented using metal that was strong enough to make a fine chain and a sprocket that was small and light enough for a human being to power.

Mass Bicycle Production

Mass production of the bicycle began in the year 1890, and the early nineties when bicycles began their run of intense popularity. This marked an important period in the history of cycling, and it was after this that bicycles began to have important uses, including for messenger services. The bicycle messenger business services really began in the sunny state of California, when a railway strike halted mail delivery service and a shop owner came up with the idea of using bicycles to deliver the mail.

Popularity

The history of cycling then continued on with several more important dates standing out, including the year 1986 when Nielson and Department of the Interior surveys showed that, as a participatory sport, cycling was the world’s third most popular, aside from general exercise and swimming.

Cycling is an incredible sport, popular and great for the body. With a healthy, well balanced diet and basic physical activity, cycling will make a great part of a weight management routine and can help you not only to lose weight but to keep it off.

Cycling is mainly an aerobic activity which means that it is also good for the lungs, and helps the heart. This is important because a strong heart and powerful lungs help to form the basis of general fitness. Even if you can only get out cycling for a few minutes each day you will still be do yourself a world of good.

Robert G. Knechtel operates several websites addressing a variety of interesting topics

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