Team Green Britain Bike Week – June 8, 2026

History of Team Green Britain Bike Week

People have been cycling for many years. It is not certain exactly who came up with the design of the first bicycle, but the first practical version was invented in 1817 by Karl von Drais, a German civil servant. The plan was intended as an alternative to the horse as a means of transport. Drais’s invention was commonly called the ‘velocipede.’ In the following years, many versions appeared, and over time, bicycles went through many changes before the present-day model. In the 1850s, a three-wheeler was built for more stability and balance. In 1860, Ernest Michaux created the forerunner of the bicycle.

In 1870, the penny-farthing bicycle was the first invention to be described as a ‘bicycle.’ It had two unevenly sized wheels, with the front wheel considerably larger than the back wheel. In 1885, John Kemp Starley invented a bicycle with two same-sized wheels connected and driven by a chain. These were the most efficient bicycles as the smaller-sized wheels made them safer than the penny-farthing.

In 1868, the first documented bicycle race was held in the Park of Saint-Cloud in Paris, and bikers raced about 4,000 feet. An Englishman, James Moore, won the race on a wooden bicycle that had rubber tires. Bicycles became incredibly popular in the U.S. in the early 1900s. The oldest bicycle racing club, the St. Louis Cycling Club, was established in 1887, and it continues to host races and events today. In 1920, when the automobile market started to grow, the popularity of biking quickly dwindled