Mark Williams Cycling
Road cyclist from East London
History of cycling
The first two wheeled rider propelled machine was invented by Baron Karl de Drais de Sauerbrun, in France in 1818. It was entirely made of wood.
In 1839 a Scot called Kirkpatrick Macmillan made a machine for a rider which had wheels rimmed with iron. Instead of pedals it used cranks - but it was not a success.
The next type of bike to be invented was one dubbed "the boneshaker", weighing around 160lb. It became very popular and in 1868 the first boneshaker bicycle race was held.
In 1870, James Starley, who became known as the father of the bicycle industry, developed the famous Penny-Farthing in England. It was named after the largest and the smallest copper coins in the currency at that time. In the 1870s a party of enthusiasts are said to have ridden Penny-Farthings from Lands End to John O'Groats (690 miles) in 15 days.
Since the 1890s the basic design has remained fairly similar although many refinements have been made over the last 100 years.
20 million bikes are owned in the UK, which means that 1 in 3 adults has one - although only 6 million people are regular cycle users.
Cycling at least 20 miles a week cuts in half your risk of heart disease compared to non-cyclists who take no exercise, according to the British Heart Foundation. The British Medical Association also recommends that you cycle daily.
Cycling burns on average 600 calories per hour.
On a bicycle you can travel 3 times faster than you can walk for the same amount of energy.
Twenty bicycles can be parked in the space that is required to park one car.
Cycling is great exercise: leisurely cycling (around 12mph) burns calories at the same rate as very brisk walking (faster than 4mph).
On a bicycle you can travel up to 1037 kilometres for the energy equivalent of a single litre of petrol.
There are about a billion bicycles in the world, twice as many as motorcars. Almost 400 million bicycles are in China. Every year some 50 million bicycles – and 20 million cars – are produced.
Air-filled tyres were used on bicycles before they were used on motorcars.
In 1985, John Howard, Olympic cyclist and Ironman triathlon winner from the US, set the world speed record for a bicycle when he reached 152.2 mph (245,08 km/h) cycling in the slipstream of a specially designed car.
Air-filled tyres were used on bicycles before they were used on motorcars.
In 1985, John Howard, Olympic cyclist and Ironman triathlon winner from the US, set the world speed record for a bicycle when he reached 152.2 mph (245,08 km/h) cycling in the slipstream of a specially designed car.
Miles rode since 01/12/09
11.246
Highest finishing standard in 2011
Silver time standard-Isle of Wight
