Tag: Merlier

The bicycle was introduced in the 19th century in Europe by German Inventor Karl von Drais. He is credited with developing the first bicycle. He introduced it to the people in Paris in 1818. It is supposed to originate from the human-powered vehicle called Draisines. Drais invented a walking machine that would help him get around the royal gardens faster. It was known by many names, including the “velocipede,” “dandy horse,” “hobby-horse,” “draisine” and “running machine. It had no pedals and its frame was a wooden beam. It had two same-size in-line wheels with the front one steerable and mounted in a frame which was straddled. In 1839, Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, allegedly completed construction of a pedal driven…

No breakaways and no action is the best way to sum up the first 110km of stage 3…Despite the lack of action the crowds were out in force to see the peloton with many villages decorated for the occasion.After an action packed first two stages of Le Tour the riders weren’t keen on making an exciting race with the weather and parcours certainly playing a big part.Today’s stage – 178km almost completely flat and a block headwind for the last 50km. Not an encouraging day for a breakaway!The riders did set a record though – the least active stage in history! The race jury who nominates the combativity award every day took the extraordinary decision of not awarding a winner…