Forty Years of Australian Club Racing: The Dandenong Cycle Club, 1908-1948
Wednesday July 8, 1908, outside Garnar’s on the Cranbourne Road, Melbourne, at 3:23 p.m., and Mr R. West sets off on his bicycle as the limit man in the day’s race. … Continue reading
Cycling Shorts: The Peace Race, 1974
This photograph of the West German cycling team was taken on the Karl Marx Allee, East Berlin’s monumental socialist boulevard, during the 1975 edition of the Peace Race. It captures … Continue reading
A History of Cycling in n+1 Objects: No 5 – The American Star Bicycle, 1881-1893(?)
Today the basic elements of John Kemp Starley’s Rover Safety Bicycle, introduced in 1885, are the standard form for bicycles but in the late Nineteenth Century the ‘safety’ was just one of … Continue reading
Bacchus on a Bicycle: Cycling Under The Influence
Punch magazine is one of the great satirical publications and its cartoons brilliantly captured details of public and private life in Britain during its long print run. I came across … Continue reading
Guns, Wheels, and Steel: Cyclists and Small Arms in the Late 19th Century
A few weeks ago Jean, who writes at Cycle Write Blog wrote an interesting piece on stereotypes of cyclists and how these perceptions ignore the fact that, like car drivers, cyclists … Continue reading
Le Tour de France: Stage 21 – Paris ITT, 1989
And so after three weeks we finally reach Paris. When I decided to write this series back in February I had several ideas for the stages I wanted to include … Continue reading
Le Tour de France: Stage 20 – Brive-Puy de Dôme, 1964
It’s one of the Le Tour’s most iconic images. Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor fighting it out shoulder to shoulder on the slopes of the Puy de Dôme during the 1964 … Continue reading
Le Tour de France: Stage 17 – Luchon-Mourenx, 1969
Anyone who is interested in the history of professional bike racing knows the name of Eddy Merckx, Belgium’s most famous son and undoubtedly the greatest racing cyclist ever. In 1969 … Continue reading
Le Tour de France: Stage 15 – Bagnères-de-Bigorre-Luz Ardiden, 2003
Somewhat to my surprise the official Race Regulations of Le Tour, in English at least, only run to thirteen pages in total which is remarkably concise for an event that … Continue reading
Le Tour de France: Stage 14 – Saint-Étienne-Aurillac, 1985
Anyone who rides a bicycle will know that crashing is an occupational hazard. A slick of oil on the road, a wet manhole cover, an unforeseen pothole, a wayward dog, … Continue reading
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