Re:cyclists: 200 Years on Two Wheels

Re:Cyclist goes over the history of the sport and pastime of bicycling over the last 200 years. While cycling throughout the world is covered, the focus is on Britain. Advancements in cycling technology are covered, but primarily in the context of how they changed cycling. Some of the first bicycles were "bone-crusher" bikes that were moved by pushing your feet on the ground (similar to kids' glide bikes today.) The penny-farthing "ordinary" helped to increase the speed that one could cycle. The chain allowed the "safety" bicycle and allowed bicycling to be opened to a much larger population. From there on, it was primarily marginal improvements.

There have been significant geographical differences in the growth of cycling. Britain had been dominated by individual time trials. Other parts of the world had taken to mass-start races. (There was a civil war within British cycling before support arose for mass-start races.) In the United States, a single company obtained patents and sought to influence bicycle manufacture everywhere.

Cycling has gone through ebbs and flows of popularity. It was initially dominated by the upper classes. Bicycles were expensive and they were a status symbol among the upper classes. People would go on leisurely rides in the park. Weekend bike tours were extremely popular. Later bicycles became more widely available. Motor cars took over as the upper class status symbol. Cycling went through some low points in popularity. There continued to be people that would use cycles for basic transportation, though these people rarely identified themselves as cyclists. 

Today, cycling has made a comeback. Racing has become popular. People make conscious decision to ride a bicycle for utility. Commuters identify themselves as "bicyclists" and are likely to dress in something resembling racing gear. Large group rides of various types have become popular. 

Faster: The Obsession, Science and Luck Behind the World's Fastest Cyclists

During the doping era, cycling teams would spend money on drugs rather than training. This may have provided some quick fixes, but prevented long term gains. Separately, the British cycling team focussed on science to improve the team and win gold medals. The first step is find the athletes. There are some basic physiological capabilities needed. They must also have the desire and drive to succeed. On top of that, there is training. The training that is needed to separate the elite athletes is different than that needed for more casual athletes. There are minor little things such as diet, training details and bike improvements that can be the difference. While these may help the casual cyclist, some more simple things may produce a bigger bang. The work on the margins continues to evolve. Bike technology has also improved, but is often limited by the cycling governing body. Psychology is not very important to a sport like cycling that relies almost exclusively on cardiovascular strength. There will continue to be advancements and people with the drive to be faster.