The bicycle is a fascinating object. Far more than just a tool to get around, it is an intersection of sport, transportation, politics, environmentalism, art, style, and craft. Cycling’s rich and deep history spans over two centuries and charts a growth from bourgeois hobby to mass-culture pursuit to world-renowned sport and multi-billion dollar industry to political device.
But, for all its significance, the bicycle’s engrossing history would be nothing without people. The athletes that devote the prime of their life to training and suffering in order to perform their brilliant feats of strength. The artisans that design and build the bicycles and components we ride. The advocates that work tirelessly to open trails and make the roads safer to ride on. The miscreants and dirtbags that get drawn to cycling generation after generation.
The Bicycle Story is an attempt to capture the people that make cycling so damn interesting. What makes them tick? What draws them to bikes? What makes them laugh, cry, rant and rave? Why have they squandered so much of their life riding, racing, building, buying, fighting for, and fixing bikes? Join us each week (or maybe more) to read an interview exploring the thoughts and ideas of one of bicycling’s endless unique characters.
Got an idea for who we should interview next? Questions? Rants of your own? Send ’em to info@thebicyclestory.com.
Photo via carsstink.org
