According to This Island Race by Les Woodland the world’s first cycling race was held at Parc de St Cloud Paris on Friday 31st May, 1868. The race was from the fountains to the barrier and back. The race was held about 7 years after the first recognisable bikes had been developed in Paris. The race was sponsored by Rene and Aime Olivier of the Compagnie Parisiennes, which financed Michaux’s bike business.
The winner of the race was an Englishman James Moore. James was born in England, but, for some reason had moved to Paris. There used to be a memorial plaque to James Moore, but alas it seems to have disappeared.
I bet they didn’t have drugs testing in those days.
The World’s Oldest Bike Race
The longest running cycle race is the Catford Cycling Club ‘Hill Climb’. The first race was held at Westerham Hill on August 20th 1887. The 113th edition will take place this October at 11am. The race is run as a time trial with riders starting at one minute intervals to race just 707 yards, which at the end includes a gradient of 1 in 4. I entered the race in 2006, finishing 12th in a time of 2.04. There was a big crowd for a time trial.
Photo top: NCReed player Flickr
Photo bottom: (Me) Tejvan Pettinger in Catford Hill Climb by PJW Photos
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[...] Start of Catford CC Hill Climb. (Catford CC is probably the world’s longest running race) [...]
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