World Bicycle Day: Facts about bicycles and cycling

The occasion of World Bicycle Day is celebrated annually on June 3 around the world to commemorate the importance of bicycles and cycling for general health and well-being and advancements. This special day was established in 2018 when the UN General Assembly declared June 3 as "International Bicycle Day." This resolution for World Bicycle Day recognizes the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of bicycles, which have been used for two centuries. On this special occasion, we've put together some amazing bike and cycling facts that you probably didn't know.

Facts about bicycles and cycling

1. In 1817, Karl von Drais, a German baron, invented a horseless carriage that would help him move faster. The device with two wheels and no pedals was propelled by pushing the feet against the ground. The machine became known as a 'draisine' and led to the creation of the modern bicycle.

2. The 'high-wheel bicycle' was a popular style in the 1870s. The term "bicycle" was not introduced until the 1860s, when it was coined in France to describe a new type of powered two-wheeled vehicle. mechanic.

3. 25-year-old Fred A Birchmore cycled around the world in 1935. The entire trip, through Europe, Asia, and the United States, covered 40,000 miles. He cycled about 25,000 miles.

4. Bicycles were first brought to China in the late 19th century. Today more than five hundred million bicycles are pedaled throughout the country.

6. In the United States, people use their bikes for less than one percent of all urban trips.

7. Every year around 100 million bicycles are manufactured around the world.

8. Over the past 30 years, bike delivery services have become a major industry, especially in cities, where couriers have earned a reputation for high speed and traffic-flipping skills.

9. The Tour de France is one of the most famous cycling races in the world.

10. Bicycle MotoCross (BMX), an extreme style of track bicycle racing, became a sport at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

11. Seven out of eight people over the age of 15 in the Netherlands have a bicycle.

12. The three most famous types of bicycles in the first 40 years of bicycle history were the French Boneshaker, the English penny-farthing, and the Rover Safety Bicycle.

13. The word bicycle is created from the French word 'Bicyclette'. Before this name, the bicycles were known as velocipedes.