Blessing of bicycles in the United States
Description:
That's the story. 1819. The first bicycle went on the streets of New York. The curiosity came from England. By the end of the summer, the city council had banned the use of a new form of transport, calling the bike unsafe for humans.
However, over time, the bicycle became the main, cheap and convenient means of transportation for residents of the state.
Since then, the Five Boro Bike Tour has been held in New York City every year. The race starts in Battery Park, passes through five districts of New York City on closed streets on this day. The length of the route is 68 km.
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There are about 30,000 cyclists on the road. The route passes through Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, then crosses the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and returns to Manhattan via a ferry to Staten Island. After the race, everyone is waiting for the Staten Island Festival with live music, food and exhibitions.
Also in the state of New York, an auction of antique bicycles is held annually in the small town of Copek. In addition to the most unusual bicycles of all sizes and models from elegant ladies to sports and racing monsters, you can find everything that is somehow related to the bicycle theme: accessories, details, rare photos and postcards.
Collectors and lovers of rarities from England, Japan, Canada and the United States take part in the auction.
An interesting fact related to the current US President George W. Bush: in 2006, he staged a bike ride for Earth Day celebrated around the world.
The bike route was laid near San Francisco. Several California officials were invited as companions to the sporting event.
The track ran over rough terrain, and for Bush, accustomed to walking along paved paths in Washington and Texas, the difficulties came as a surprise. The fact is that on the eve of the run there was heavy rain and the participants of the run even fell several times into the resulting mud, but the president himself refrained from falling.
George W. Bush did his best. When one of his aides asked a question during the race, the president joked, “Can’t you at least pretend to breathe hard?”
During the walk, Bush rode a bicycle, and behind, in jeeps, there were doctors and security guards.