200 Years of Cycling

Much to the chagrin of amateur history Claude Reynaud, the 200^th anniversary of the invention of the bicycle is likely to pass by with little pomp or fanfare as millions of pairs of eyes gaze at television screens or from the roadside to watch Chris Froome and his rivals battle for yellow jersey glory.

Billions of people use bicycles, many on a daily basis, and yet few are aware of this important milestone. Reynaud has fought a 50-year battle to defend the memory of the invention of the bicycle. He even houses a museum in its honor at his chateau in Domazan, in the Occitanie region of France. Reynaud said it was on June 12, 1817 that “for the first time, a man took a two-wheeler and went on a road” in the Mannheim region of what was then the Grand Duchy of Baden, now part of Southwest Germany.

Baron Drais’s “velocipede” (nicknamed the ‘dandy horse’) had no petals or a chain and required the rider to propel his “Laufmaschine” (running machine) by pushing off the ground with his feet. But the Baron’s genius was that “he discovered balance on two wheels”. “Like all ingenious inventions, it seems obvious, but someone had to think it. He invented the two-wheeler!”

However, the running machine was far from a resounding success and had its faults, notably proving difficult to control on bumpy surfaces. When Drais organized a demonstration of the velocipede at the Jardin de Luxembourg Park in Paris in 1818, “it was a disaster”. At first, it didn’t work; he couldn’t sell it, people made fun of it. But the idea had taken root and was soon being copied, particularly in France, although many draisines were adorned with horse’s heads. In 1866, Pierre Lallement attached pedals to the draisine and invented a pedal-powered velocipede.

The next stage in the development of bicycle saw a huge front wheel attached with a small rear wheel, but it was a machine that was far from stable and resulted in some spectacular crashes. It wasn’t until 1885 that two similar-sized wheels were attached to the velocipede. After that it was just a case of technical improvements, but all the ideas already existed – brake cables, pedals, chains. The bicycle enjoyed an exponential success, especially from 1890 with the invention of the tyre. Reynaud Chateau de Bosc welcomes 6,000 visitors to its museum but the amateur historian’s greatest regret is that he doesn’t own an original Laufmaschine to put on display.

Type of Bikes for Cycling

Cycling is a great cardiovascular exercise that even elderly people with weak bones can take up. Cycling is an open chain exercise; the activity exerts much less pressure on the joints and bones. The recovery time for cycling is much shorter compared to a sport as grueling as running, football or hockey. But before one goes out and buy a cycle, one need to figure out what kind of a cyclist he/she is the city rider, the speed king or the mountain biker. Based on geometry and purpose, cycles can be classified broadly under three broad categories road bike, mountain bike and hybrid.

Cycles don’t come cheap. The cheapest road bike starts at upwards of INR 40,000. The cost goes up depending on the material of the frame, fork and other components such as wheels and gears shifters. The aluminium frame is the cheapest option, followed by alloy, and carbon bikes are the most expensive. The advantage of using a carbon frame is that it absorbs vibrations and shocks much better than aluminium or alloy.

Road Bike, as the name suggests it is meant for road riding. It is built for speed. Its primary characteristics are aerodynamics, light frame, rigid fork, thin tyres, racing handlebar with integrated gear shifters and brake levers. A rider who intends to ride largely on roads and wants to feel the wind in the hair can consider a road bike.

Mountain Bike, popularly known as MTBs are off-road bikes. They are meant for rough riding conditions, which make them ideal for most Indian roads. A typical MTB has a front suspension fork, 2-inch wide, off-road tyres and disc brakes. A full suspension MTB would have an additional rear mounted suspension as well. MTB is great for riding in the trails.

For the most experienced riders, there are three highly specialized versions of the MTB. The cross-country/trail bike accounts for the highest number of mountain bikes sold in India. A downhill MTB is one which a biker uses to come down a steep but defined path. And finally there is the free ride, the most extreme version of downhill biking, restricted to the highly skilled riders and adrenalin Junkers.

Hybrid Bike is a mix of the MTB and road bikes. It features flat handlebars, tyres wider than those of a roadie and thinner than those of an MTB, and gear ratios that are between those of road bikes and MTBs. As most cycling is done early mornings on city roads, the hybrid is the best option for someone who is not a road biker. BMX or stunt bikes has small wheels, usually 20 inches in size, a 360 degree rotating handlebar, and stunt pegs at the front or rear, or on both hub axles. It is used purely for stunts. 

My First International Olympic Duathlon

7^th February 2016, I participated in my first Olympic Duathlon and started practicing for it. It’s a competition that is composed of running and biking. The format for a Duathlon is run-bike-run. It was 5 km run, 40 km cycling and 10 km run. I nailed it in 3 hrs. 15 min (approx.) I was very excited for this event. After long days of practice and strict Diet, I completed Olympic Duathlon within a committed time to myself. 

My favorite quote in life is – “The moment you stop accepting challenges, is the moment you stop moving forward. Keep Moving”. This is what keeps me moving in life. It was the motivation for me throughout this event. Getting up early in the morning for pedaling & running few miles, and then focus on work wasn’t easy as I thought would be. But after this event I got to know few things about me. I need to practice running and exercise regularly especially before an event like Duathlon/Triathlon.

The event started with Run: 5 Km. One loop outside of stadium went well. I started with good pace and finished a loop inside the stadium. Cycle: 40 Km. Four loops outside of stadium and finished in about 1 hour 20 minutes on my Mountain Bike. Run: 10 Km. After fast ride and run, I was bit tired, my throat dried up and I felt hungry. I wasted lot of time at first pit stop but at last I finished 10km run in a good time and last one loop inside the stadium. It was a well spent day with fellow athletes.

A big credit goes to organizer and volunteers who helped and motivated me during the event to complete it & Delhi Police to ensure that the traffic was moved off our lanes when we were there. At last, the moment of the day was receiving medal from Mrs. Deepa Malik, an Indian Athlete. She is a paraplegic. Whether it is swimming against the strong Yamuna current, or riding a special bike or even taking a shot at the Paralympic Games, she has done it all. She has won bronze medal in Women Javelin throw. She has got nominated in Limca book of records for her swimming records. She is an inspiration for me.

I want to try more events in my life and keep going because the day I stopped accepting challenges in my life is the day I stop moving forward. Thank you to event organizer Chiro Mitra, Sangeeta Saikia and team for organizing this event in a well-structured way and looking forward to you for more events. 

My Love for Cycling & My Mountain Bike

Albert Einstein once said, he thought of the theory of relativity while riding a bicycle. Cycling is third most popular recreational activity in the UK. About 3.1 Million people ride bicycle every month. I too love cycling since childhood and my new Mountain Bike “Rockrider 5.3”. There are many reasons that turn me on for cycling every time including its benefits.

Regular cycling can help one shed weight, regulate stress and improve fitness. It saves transport & fuel expenses. The best thing about cycling is that it is pollution free which is good for environment. According to a research by Illinois University researchers, cycling helps build brain cells in the hippocampus, the region responsible for memory, which keeps on deteriorating after the age of 30.

Cycling also beats illness and keeps doctor at bay. It is also helpful for Insomnia sufferers who can’t sleep at nights. Cycling helps in getting proper sleeps because it prevents the stress hormones and regenerate sleep. Regular cycling can protect skin against the harmful effects of UV radiation and reduce signs of ageing. It also helps in living longer because body becomes much more efficient to regenerate new cells.

Cycling also helps avoid obesity which means guilt free snacks at any party. It also helps me to get fitter and hence better at sports. Professionally, cycling also helps to maintain and create network with people. Last but not the least; twenty bicycles can be parked in the same space as one car. It takes around five percent of the materials and energy used to make a car than to build a bike and a bike produces zero pollution.

Cycling is an activity that involves the whole body. Therefore, arm-to-leg, feet-to-hands and body-to-eye coordination are improved. I love my bike because it has twenty seven gears, disc brakes and a light weight frame to pull. Apart from physical structure of bike I would like to add that cycling also builds leadership & strategy skills. Above image describes meaning of all parts of cycle. Gear part is engagement and chain is the feedback point.

So, one can’t easily measure the benefits of cycling on one’s life. Most of the times, people ask me “Why don’t you buy a motor bike in same price”, well the answer is simple, it will make me lazy and increase risks of accident. When I travel from one place to another in a city, my ultimate goal is to cover a distance, which can be done from cycling as well.