Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
Cycling champion Antonio “Tony” Cruz, who is of Mexican descent, was born in Long Beach California, on October 31, 1971. He developed a strong love for bicycles early on in life. Two of Cruz’s biggest influences in this regard were his father and uncle, both of whom were avid cyclists. Cruz competed in his first... Continue Reading →
April 23, 1988 The ancient mythical flight of the craftsman Daedalus, who reportedly took to the skies while flapping wings made of feathers and wax, was recreated by Kanellos Kanellopoulos. The 30-year-old Greek cycling champion accomplished this with a pink-and-silver pedal-plane that had been built by the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of... Continue Reading →
February 5, 1906 Road racing cyclist Mariano Cañardo was born in the town and municipality of Olite in north-central Spain’s autonomous community and province of Navarre. After becoming an orphan at the age of 14, he moved with his sister to the city of Barcelona in northeastern Spain’s autonomous community and province of Catalonia. It... Continue Reading →
July 10, 1899 Heinrich “Heiri” Suter, who achieved widespread renown as a champion road racing cyclist, was born in the municipality of Gränichen in north-central Switzerland. During the course of his career, he won a total of 58 professional cycling races and in the process established some noteworthy records. On March 18, 1923, for example,... Continue Reading →
November 28, 1999 A track cycling arena called the Dunc Gray Velodrome was formally inaugurated in Australia’s state of New South Wales. This facility is located in the community of Bass, which is 14.3 miles (23 kilometers) southwest of the Sydney central business district. The Dunc Gray Velodrome was built to serve as the cycling... Continue Reading →
June 10, 1921 Professional cyclist Jean Robic was born in the commune of Vouziers in northern France. Robic, whose father was a racing cyclist, moved to Paris in early 1940 and worked there as a bicycle mechanic for the Sausin company. Around the same time that Robic moved to Paris, his own career as a... Continue Reading →
December 23, 1903 Armand Blanchonnet, who would establish himself as a formidable amateur cyclist, was born in the commune of Gipcy in central France. The apex of his cycling career took place during the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. During those games, Blanchonnet earned the gold medal in the individual component of a men’s road... Continue Reading →
In 2020, Neilson Powless became the first Native American from the United States to compete in the Tour de France. As a child, he had first aspired to take part in that prestigious multiple-stage bicycle race. “It was so exotic and powerful that even before I turned 10, I dreamed of one day competing in... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 