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History of Cycling Timeline
(1817 - Present)The history of cycling traces the evolution of human-powered two-wheeled transportation, beginning with Karl von Drais's 1817 running machine and progressing through the velocipede era, the high-wheeled penny-farthing, and the revolutionary safety bicycle. Cycling transformed personal mobility, sparked social change including women's emancipation, and gave rise to competitive racing, iconic events like the Tour de France, and a global culture of recreation and sport. More Less
Early Cycling and Racing
Bicycles introduced in the 19th century
1800 - 1900
After bicycles were introduced in the 19th century, cycling quickly became a popular activity. It has remained popular ever since, with more than a billion people worldwide using bicycles today for recreation, transportation, and sport.
Image source: History of cycling
First documented cycling race in Paris
May 31, 1868
The first documented cycling race was held on May 31, 1868, at the Park of Saint-Cloud in Paris. The race covered a distance of 1,200 metres and marked the beginning of competitive cycling as an organized sport.
Cycling club founded, operating continuously since 1887
1887
A cycling club that has operated continuously since 1887 was established. Since its inception, the club has sponsored races and timed distance events, helping to promote and organize the sport of cycling.
Cycling and Women's Freedom
Bicycle comes to symbolise the New Woman
1890 - 1900
As bicycles became safer and cheaper, more women had access to the personal freedom they embodied, and so the bicycle came to symbolise the New Woman of the late nineteenth century, especially in Britain and the United States.
Image source: New Woman
Annie Londonderry begins round-the-world bicycle journey
1894 - 1895
Annie Londonderry set out to bicycle around the world, completing her remarkable journey in 15 months between 1894 and 1895, becoming an international sensation and symbol of women's independence.
Image source: Annie Londonderry
Annie Londonderry becomes first woman to bicycle around the world
1895
In 1895, Annie Londonderry became the first woman to bicycle around the world, completing an extraordinary feat that challenged contemporary notions of what women could accomplish.
Frances Willard publishes How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle
1895
In 1895, Frances Willard, the tightly laced president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, wrote How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle, described by Bicycling magazine as 'the greatest book ever written on learning to ride.' She praised the bicycle she learned to ride late in life, which she named 'Gladys', for its 'gladdening effect' on her health and political optimism.
Image source: Frances Willard
Cambridge undergraduates protest women's admission with effigy
1897
The backlash against the New (bicycling) Woman was demonstrated when male undergraduates of Cambridge University in England chose to show their opposition to the admission of women as full members of the university by hanging a woman in effigy in the main town square—tellingly, a woman on a bicycle—as late as 1897.
Technology and Industry
Svea Velocipede introduced by Ljungström brothers
1892
The Svea Velocipede, featuring a vertical pedal arrangement and locking hubs, was introduced in 1892 by the Swedish engineers Fredrik Ljungström and Birger Ljungström, contributing to bicycle technological innovation.
Image source: Svea Velocipede
Panic of 1893 devastates American bicycle manufacturers
1893
The Panic of 1893 wiped out many American manufacturers who had not followed the lead of Pope and Schoeninger, in the same way that the Great Depression would later ruin car makers who did not follow Ford.
Image source: Panic of 1893
Key Facts
- In 1817, German Baron Karl von Drais invented the 'draisine' (or 'running machine'), the first two-wheeled, steerable vehicle and precursor to the modern bicycle.
- Pedals were first attached directly to the front wheel in the 1860s with the French 'velocipede' (boneshaker), leading to the high-wheeled penny-farthing of the 1870s.
- The 'safety bicycle,' featuring equal-sized wheels and a chain drive to the rear wheel, emerged in 1885, and John Boyd Dunlop's pneumatic tires (1888) made cycling comfortable and popular worldwide.
- Cycling played a major role in women's emancipation in the late 19th century, offering newfound mobility and freedom; Susan B. Anthony called it the 'freedom machine.'
- Competitive cycling grew into a global sport, with the first Tour de France held in 1903, and today events like the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España form cycling's prestigious Grand Tours.
Source
This History of Cycling timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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