Bicycle

Bicycle means two wheels. The first bicycle was the hobby- horse. A man made it in Germany in 1817. It did not have any pedals! The rider pushed it with his feet. In 1839 a man from Scotland made a bicycle with pedals.

People made bicycles with bigger and bigger front wheels. In about 1860 people made a bicycle with an enormous front wheel and a tiny back wheel, and called it a penny- farthing. A penny was a big coin and a farthing was a little coin. Then in 1885 there was the safety bicycle with smaller wheels. All these bicycles were only for men!

Soon there were bicycles for women, too, and in 1886 bicycles had tyres with air inside.

People cycle to get to places, and because they like it. Now millions of men, women and children have bicycles all round’ the world, but the most bicycles are in China.

There are bicycle races, too. There is a very big race every year in France. It is 3,267 kilometres long and it takes 23 days!