When bicycle racing is mentioned, most people think of Lance Armstrong immediately.  This guy is perhaps the most high profile cyclist in the history of the sport, and rightly so.  But do you know much about the history of bicycle racing?  Do you know about the different kinds of bicycle racing? Here’s a quick overview.

Bicycle racing supposedly originated way back from May 31, 1868, when the first race was held at the Parc de Saint-Cloud in Paris.  This was a 1,200 meter race, which Englishman James Moore won.  His bike was a wooden one with iron tires!  Interesting, isn’t it?

As for the different kinds of races, we have road bicycle racing – which is perhaps the most popular today, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway.  The Tour de France falls under the first kind.  Cyclo-cross developed due to the fact that road racing could usually only take place during good weather.  During winter, cyclists needed an alternative activity to keep their training up, hence cyclo-cross and off-road bicycle racing.