Something Interesting about Bikes

李传雨

★自行车，是一种以人力驱动的简便交通工具。它的发明和改进经历了漫长而复杂的历史过程。公元1642年，意大利一位橱窗设计师在他所设计的罗马教堂的彩色玻璃上，绘制了自行车的雏型图案，但没有造出实物。第一个制造出自行车实物的是法国人希布拉克，他在1790 年制成一辆木质自行车，这是一个了不起的发明和贡献。

History of Bikes

What is the bike？ Bike is short for bicycle. It has two wheels. People can ride bikes to many places. The bike is very popular now. But it has a long history. Who and when invented the bike？ Do you want to know？ Let me tell you. In 1642， an Italian drew a picture of a bike on the window of a church. It was so special for people. They didnt know what it was. In fact， the Italian may not know it. But we still said it was the first picture of the bike. What a pity， he didnt make a real bike. A Frenchman made a wooden bike in 1790. It was great. He was the first man to make a real bike. Many people loved the new bike very much. They thought out many good ideas. They made the bike more comfortable and many people could learn how to ride bikes easily. Bikes became safer and cheaper. More and more people learned to ride bikes. There are about one billion bikes in the world. The number of bikes is twice as many as automobiles①. We often use bikes. They are useful and helpful for us.

When did the bike come to China？ No one knew the exactly answers. But it came to Shanghai during the 1860s or 1870s. Some foreigners rode bikes. The Chinese were interested in special bikes. They wanted to have a try. They learned how to ride bikes from the foreigners. Now， there are too many bikes in China. We use them in our daily life.

★令我們骄傲的是我国有两项国际性的自行车赛事，一个是环青海湖自行车赛，每年7至8月在青海省举行，属于亚洲顶级赛事，也是世界上最高海拔的国际性公路自行车赛。比赛总距离1350多公里，平均海拔3000多米，赛程10天，奖金总额30万美元。比赛线路设计以碧波浩瀚、鸟翼如云的青海湖为中心，并向周边地区延伸，沿途自然风光雄奇壮美，旖旎迷人。另一个是环海南岛国际公路自行车赛，这项比赛已经成功举办三届，海南各个市县的群众以及来自各地的观众都能近距离地欣赏高水平的国际赛事，这不仅扩大了环岛赛的影响，同时也向世界全面展示了海南的地方特色。

The Bike Games in China

Bikes in China are very popular. People like to ride bikes to do many things. They want to have big games. There are two important games in China. One is Tour of Qinghai Lake. It began from 2002.  The total② distance③ of the tour is 1，398 km and the race distance is 1，342.6 km. Every year， from July to August， the players like to take part in the game. Many people want to enjoy the games and the nice Qinghai Lake.

Another game in China is in Hainan. Hainan is a beautiful island. It is a different place from Qinghai. It is warm and comfortable. Many people like to play in Hainan. The game is named Tour of Hainan. It began in 2006. This year， it is between 11th and 19th of November. The total distance of the tour is 1，429.7 km. We can enjoy the game on TV or the Internet or read the news in the newspapers.

We hope there will be more famous games in China. The two games can be more famous in the future.

★环法自行车赛是世界影响最广、规模最大、比赛水平最高的自行车比赛。它以历史悠久、賽程艰难而闻名于世。从1903年7月1日第一届环法自行车赛诞生至今已有百余年的历史了。它的赛程累计3000余公里，对于选手来说，参加这样的比赛是对毅力和体力的巨大考验与挑战。

Tour of France

Do you know what the most famous bike race is in the world？ It is Tour of France. It began in Paris， France in 1903. It has a long history. It is more than 3，000 km long. So， it is not easy for players. But they are also happy to see France on their way. The best one can wear the yellow shirt. Many people like to watch the game.

★2019“北京自行车日”于4月28日在北京市东城区地坛体育中心举行，本次活动共有来自全市48支骑行队伍共500余人参加。

“北京自行车日”创立于2015年，每年都在四月的最后一个星期日举办活动。多年来，通过组织不同形式的各类活动，让更多人参与到自行车运动中来，活动影响力逐年扩大。

“自行车日”还有一层含义，就是希望大家在这一天可以骑车出行，尽量不开车，通过活动的举办倡导节能减排、低碳环保的生活方式。

Beijing Bicycle Day

The 2019 “Beijing Bicycle Day” was held at Ditan Sports Center in Dongcheng District on April 28. More than 500 people from 48 cycling teams participated in the event.

Beijing Bicycle Day was founded in 2015 and is held every year on the last Sunday in April， the influence of the activity has been expanding year by year.

Organizers hope that people can ride a bike on this day， try not to drive a car， so that we can live a more environmentally friendly and healthy lifestyle.