History
Despite the fact that the wheel has been around for thousands of years, the bicycle remains a relatively modern invention - but one that has evolved rapidly over the last two hundred years. The first bicycle was created in 1790 by a Frenchman, Comte de Sivrac. It was made of wood, and had solid wheels with no steering system or pedals.
Steering came courtesy of German Baron von Drais in 1817, while Frenchman Pierre Michaux designed pedals in 1861 (Kirkpatrick McMillan 1831) that were later refined by Englishman JK Starley. The pneumatic inner-tube that helped create air-filled tyres was pioneered in 1887 by Irishman John Boyd Dunlop, and was refined by French brothers Edouard and Andre Michelin.
Over time, cycling has evolved from a mean's of transport into a pastime and sport in its own right, with mountain biking taking the discipline off-road and classic endurance events such as the Tour de France helping to further spread the popularity of the sport and inspiring people to take up cycling for personal fitness and as a hobby.
Olympic History
Cycling made its Olympic debut in the inaugural modern Summer Games in Athens, Greece, in 1896, with both road and track cycling included on the schedule. Track racing has been included in ever Summer Games since, apart from Stockholm in 1912, when only a road race was held.
Over time, however, track cycling has undergone much change. Events have changed in length and format, with many coming and going over the years, but the most visible change has been the look and design of the bikes, with engineers helping the athletes to get as much speed as possible, while lowering the bikes' weight to help stamina.
The 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, USA, featured the debut of futuristic-looking bikes with solid carbon-fibre wheels. Progress accelerated again with the introduction of the ultra-lightweight full carbon-fibre bike of Team GB's Chris Boardman in the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. world records, lapped world champion in the final.
The men's 1km time trial and women's 500m time trial events were removed from the Olympic Programme following the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, to make way for the introduction of the BMX discipline in Beijing 2008.