Women's Team Sprint Gold Medal Race - 2014 Track Cycling World Cup | London

This is a video of track cycling races, it just shows you the speed of some top women's races and how technical cycling is in the modern days. This video shows clearly how much cycling has changed and evolved as a sport. Different countries are dominating each year which gives the sport a bit more variety.

The perfect bike

What do you think the perfect bike is?
I will talk to you about the perfect road racing bike and the perfect mountain bike.

One of the most perfect road bike of 2016 is...

Giant TCR Advanced SL 0

• It is 100% made of carbon.
• Its original price is $9,000 which is 8050.81 euro!!
• There is more information at giant-bicycles.com
• The geometry of the bike allows all riders to be in an aerodynamic position but still be able to breath.
• The tyres are good for all hilly climbs and are light but have great grip to risk a fall and potential injury. 
• The brakes are amazing quality which is a necessity at all levels on the bikes
• The gears are swift and smooth which allows a rider to make an attack secretly.

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/previews/16-for-2016-the-best-new-road-bikes-of-2016/slide/3


Where is cycling most popular? And where are the top bike brands from?

Each year the sport  of cycling is growing.
The Top Ten Cycling countries are:

1. Netherlands
2. Denmark
3. Germany
4. Sweden
5. Norway
6. Finland
7. Japan
8. Switzerland
9. Belgium
10. China

These countries are the top ten countries with the most bicycles per kilometre squared. Some countries use cycling mainly for slimming, ie America. Cycling has been found for great weight loss as you can burn up to 600 calories an hour. Other countries use cycling as the main form of transport in the markets and cities like in China.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Yangzhou-WenchangLu-electric-bicycles-3278.jpg

The top three bike brands in the world and where they come from.

1. GIANT- a Taiwanese manufacturer with manufacturing facilities in Netherlands and China
2.  GT- a famous American brand
3. Marin another American brand
4. Santa Cruz- a Californian brand 
5. Scott- a Swiss Brand, the company also makes equipment and other sports gear.
6. Kona- North American make
7. Cannondale- Canadian brand but mostly sold from USA
8. Specialized- company created by Spaniard
9. Trek- American company
10. Merida- made in Taiwan 

This proves that cycling takes place all over the world and bikes are made all across the world creating multinational business.



The importance of Cycling TODAY

As you all know cycling is a much healthier mode of transport than vehicles. Cycling to work or school is being encouraged greatly across the world to help make the world a healthier place.
CYCLING IS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE

1. Much less energy is needed to make a bike than a car
2. Bikes do not need toxic batteries or motor oil
3. Cycling uses no fuel.

Pollution is a major issue facing us today and if the world keeps going the rate its going, Earth will be destroyed in generations to come.
How much air pollution is prevented by commuting by bike rather than car?
Below is a website which clearly shows you how using your bicycle for transport everyday can help the world you live in.

• http://youcanbikethere.com/environmental-benefits/

https://pixabay.com/p-160925/?no_redirect

It states that if you have a mid-sized car and drove 10 miles each day five times a week for one year, you would be putting 1.3 tonnes of CO2 emissions into the air. Think about it, even if you cycled those 10 miles three times a week you could save the earth by 0.78 tonnes of CO2 emissions... yes it's that EASY! And you will probably make it to your destination quicker than in car because you can pass all the traffic stand stills!

In Ireland it is discovered that, "cycling to work was most popular in Dublin with 5.9 per cent cycling to work followed by Galway with 4.9 per cent. In smaller towns only 1.5 per cent cycled to work while only 0.5 per cent cycled to work in the aggregate rural area.”

Transport Ireland are doing great work to try and encourage students to cycle to and from school. They found from surveys that 85% of students own a bike and students would prefer to cycle to pupils than go by any other transport.

Not only is cycling good for the environment it is a great form of exercise. Cycling is great for losing weight and also gaining muscle and fitness, it is an all round great form of exercise.

Where did the act of cycling actually originate?

At first cycling was primarily used as a form of transport. People used bicycles because it was faster than walking from place to place. The first bicycle to ever be made was around 1817 by Frenchman Cante de Several. He came up with a contraption called the running machine or velocipede. It did not have pedals or steering.  The bike was made entirely of wood and metal, they were significantly different than bikes are today. The bikes were used over long distances even though at the time the road conditions were not great. When bikes became more common they were mainly used for amusement and entertainment. Bikes eventually got the name "hobby horses". 
This is a picture of a velocipede.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_bicycle#/media/File:Draisine_or_Laufmaschine,_around_1820._Archetype_of_the_Bicycle._Pic_01.jpg

The first bikes lacked in suspension and seat comforting however the evolution of bicycles is an on going process with new models and features to bikes being produced each year.

Here is a photo time line of bicycles since they were invented with one new feature or addition each time

1820s-1850s
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Bicycle_two_1886.jpg

• 1820s-1850s
• Added steering and pedals.
• Three or four pedals

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_bicycle#/media/File:Velocipede_for_Ladies.png

• 1860s
• A New York company made this bicycle with medals. it was specifically for women.

                                       

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/The_American_Velocipede.jpg

• 1870s- the high wheel bicycle
• The larger wheel made it faster to ride than previous models.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Whippet_Safety_Bicycle.jpg

• 1880s-90s The safety bicycle
• This was when the make of bicycles completely changed, and was a crucial point in the history of bicycles and cycling.
• This bike provided comfort and also the ability to increase the speed but safely.
• This bike brought more popularity to the sport.

What is cycling?

The definition of cycling is 'The act or sport of riding or travelling by the bicycle, motorcycle etc.' - according to http://www.dictionary.com/browse/cycling
People cycle for different reasons such as: form of transport, recreation, exercise and sport.

There are many sports within the sport of cycling such as:

• Mountain biking
• Track racing
• Road racing
• BMX
• Cyclo-cross

Mountain biking has evolved over the years, it is off road cycling. There are different types of mountain biking, down-hill, cross country, trail riding, free riding and dirt jumping. Mountain bikes are different to road bikes. Mountain bike wheels are much thicker and can go over objects without getting punctures easy, there is always a front suspension and maybe a back suspension unlike as road bike which has no suspension. Noticeable to the eye the handle bars on each of the bikes are also different.

Road Racing is where cyclists race on the roads. The distances are hundreds of kilometers in distance.  Special road racing bikes are used which are extremely light in weight and very aerodynamic. I will do a blog particularly on THE BEST ROAD BIKE. Road racing is said to be quite dangerous yet exhilarating.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Henninger_Turm-2005-Finale-Runde2-Spitzengruppe.jpg

BMX cycling is off road cycling with stunts and jumps on the  route. There are specific BMX bikes for this event of cycling also.



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/BMX_racing_action_photo.jpg


Cyclo-cross cycling is not yet an Olympic sport but over the past few years the sport has been growing significantly. It is where the cyclists cycle on grass and the course is usually very muddy and technically difficult. 

Track cycling has become a very popular sport and some countries seemed to have mastered the racing element of the velodrome. Track cycling takes place in a very technical structure called the velodrome. Velodrome have bankings which are supposed to match the natural lean of a bike moving around the bend of the velodrome. The technicality of the velodrome allows top cyclists reach speeds of 85km per hour and more.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Manchester_Velodrome_2011.jpg

INTRODUCTION

Hello my name is Lara and I am witting my blog on cycling. I chose to write on this topic as I am interested in the sport of cycling and the origins of bicycles.