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Home , Bicycle touring, History of cycling, Octave Lapize

WHEN TOURING (and not ) DROVE THE WORLD By Jan Heine

A little over a century ago, more accessible to the emerging mid - were the fastest vehicles on the road, dle classes. However, travelers were and touring was seen as the limited to visiting places that were ideal way to discover new places. Even served by rail and stage lines. If you though most recent histories of cycling wanted to go beyond the well-known (and much of the modern bicycle sites, the lack of transportation posed industry) focus on racing, it was tour - a problem. ing bicycles that drove technological Enter the bicycle. Once bicycles innovation for decades. had matured with the introduction of also had a profound influence on rac - the “safety” bicycle (two wheels of ing, leading to a shift first from track to equal size, chain drive to the rear road racing, and then from flat courses wheel) around 1885, cycling became to mountainous ones. Bicycle touring very popular during the great “bicycle even changed society and politics. boom.” After a few rides in the park, by bicycle many intrepid cyclists began to Visiting faraway places has cap - explore. First a ride to the next town, tured our imaginations for centuries. then even farther, maybe an overnight In the eighteenth century, taking a trip, and on they went. Bicycles “continental tour” was a tradition in opened new horizons. the education of upper-class young But bicycles were still expensive men and women. With the spread of and, in any case, the working classes in railroads, traveling became easier and most countries did not yet know the lux - FRANK PATTERSON uries of and travel, so bicycle tour - strict preparation marked by many rules and ence which they have obtained in previous ing was very much a pursuit of the cultured precautions, and although his enthusiasm years, or by the advice of their more practical middle classes. In , for example , only may carry him through, yet it must be admit - fellows, plan out their trips with an eye to government employees and the self- ted that for the most part the work is very personal comfort, and after a few days of employed — doctors, lawyers, accountants, severe. On the other hand, the pottering enjoyable riding return home invigorated etc. — had leisure time and were able to tour cyclist who never ventures far from home and instructed… The short summer tour becomes a fund of lasting amusement, an event to be looked back to with pleasure or During its early years, the anticipated with delight.” Cyclotouring organizations itself changed greatly under the influence Cyclists were not always met with enthusiasm during their , however. In of cyclotourism. the days before cars, bicycles were the fastest vehicles on the road, and they were vilified on their bicycles. These riders were not has no idea of the enjoyments to be found in for “murdering chickens” and generally dis - interested in racing in circles on dusty oval country rambles on the wheel. Many men turbing the peace. Compared to those travel - tracks, the dominant racing style of the day, are precluded by business engagements or ing by train with copious luggage, cyclists but in seeing the world from the seat of their physical incapacity from indulging in the often arrived dusty from the road and with - bicycles. For example, The Badminton Library fierce joys of competition, but the touring out formal clothing. Then, as now, some - Cycling , published in 1887 and edited by field is practically open to any rider who has innkeepers welcomed cyclists while others His Grace, The Duke of Beaufort, explained: the time to devote to it, and the number of treated them poorly. To represent the inter - “There is little doubt that by far the quiet cyclists who thus spend their holidays ests of touring cyclists, national organiza - largest number of active cyclists find their is yearly increasing, as the records of many tions were founded. The Cyclists’ Touring- pleasure in touring on their machines. The an old wayside will abundantly testify. Club (CTC) was formed in Britain in 1878, racing man has to undergo an elaborate and These tourists, guided by the experi - and only a few years later it already counted

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26 ADVENTURE CYCLIST JANUARY 20 07 ADVENTURECYCLING .ORG more than 23,000 members. The CTC lob - bied for better roads, worked with to offer a discount for its members, and listed workshops that could repair bikes. In short, the club tried to help touring cyclists in every way possible. In the United States, the League of American Wheelmen was found - ed in 1880 (albeit as an organization for rac - ers and tourists), and the Touring Club de France followed shortly thereafter. Because many of their members were well connected, these cyclotouring clubs wielded significant power. For example, the Touring Club de France was considered the “unofficial state department of .” Cycling and women’s liberation Women had been cycling from the early days of safety bicycles, but racing remained purely a male activity. It was not that women were not interested: for the first 1,200 kilometer -Brest-Paris race in 1891, several women signed up but were not allowed to start. Contrasting this, bicycle touring included women on equal terms. In fact, bicycle touring played a significant role in the women’s liberation movement. The growing number of female cyclists soon found that the long dresses of the time hard - ly were ideal for riding and a rational dress movement formed. In Britain, the CTC played a major role in outlawing discrimina - Better known as Vélocio, he was an early leader in the touring movement. tion of women who did not conform to the Paul de Vivie. traditional dress code and in the prosecution the world. It gives a woman a feeling of free - tourists began to explore faraway places and of innkeepers who refused accommodation dom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice it did not take long for speed records to be to female cyclists because of their “rational” every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel established between towns. This led to long- clothing. The effect was similar in other … the picture of free, untrammeled woman - distance racing, first from Bordeaux to Paris, countries. Equal rights activist Susan B. hood.” then the audacious Paris-Brest-Paris, a non - Anthony wrote in 1896: “Let me tell you Cyclotouring as an influence on racing stop race over 750 miles. These events ini - what I think of bicycling. It has done more Early bicycle races were often held on tially were intended as amateur events in the to emancipate women than anything else in horse-racing tracks. By contrast, bicycle vein of modern randonneur rides, with the

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28 ADVENTURE CYCLIST JANUARY 20 07 ADVENTURECYCLING .ORG CYCLOTOURING AND INNOVATION 1920s, a few influential French cyclotourists became convinced that the mass-produced bicycles then available left a lot to be Until about 1895, there were few differences between racing desired. They envisioned lighter bikes with better handling, bet - and touring bikes. All had a single speed, fixed gear, and no ter ways of carrying supplies, and improved reliability. To prove brakes. Many racing bikes were very light, often less than twenty their point, they organized the technical trials, which were com - pounds, whereas touring bikes tended to be sturdier and a bit petitions between bicycles, not riders. Points were awarded for heavier. light weight, multiple gears, and other desirable features. Then With a single gear and without brakes, these bikes were best the loaded bikes were ridden over hundreds of kilometers of suited for flat courses. Racers got around the bike’s limitations by rough roads, and points were deducted for breakdowns and avoiding hills altogether; if they were faced with a steep uphill, equipment failures. The trials led to rapid improvement of cyclo - they got off and walked. However, for cyclotourists who wanted touring bikes and by the late 1930s, the best cyclotouring bikes to discover the world, this would not do. Instead, these intrepid used aluminum cranks, double or triple chainrings, powerful can - riders began to improve their bikes. Wooden blocks attached to tilever brakes, low-rider racks made from tubular steel, and in the rear wheel were used as brakes, and many methods were some cases even aluminum frames. developed to achieve multiple gears, starting with two cogs, one Because they used aluminum instead of steel for most com - on each side of the rear wheel. By flipping the rear wheel around, ponents, these handmade touring bikes were lighter than the rac - riders could obtain two speeds. Once freewheels were developed, ing bikes of the time. In 1940s France, a modern touring bike was drivetrains with two or three chains, one of which was engaged an expensive status symbol, far more popular than the relatively at any time, were created in France to offer gears that could be unsophisticated racing machines, which still offered only a few shifted on the move. When thinner, flexible chains made bend - gears and relatively ineffective brakes. Tullio Campagnolo, the ing the chain possible, were the obvious next step. genius who made the first-quick release hubs, took his inspiration British manufacturers perfected hub gears, which were soon from touring components when he introduced the first modern found on the bikes of most serious British cyclotourists. parallelogram , aluminum cranks, and seatposts with While racers debated whether multispeed bicycles should be integrated saddle clamps. His components revolutionized racing admitted to races, cyclotourists already had moved on. In the bikes and defined the classic bikes of the 1960s and 1970s.

ADVENTURE CYCLIST JANUARY 20 07 ADVENTURECYCLING .ORG 29 emphasis on the individual challenge of fin - ishing rather than coming first. However, bike companies quickly realized the advertis - ing potential of these races and engaged strong riders to showcase their products. As a result, professional racers grabbed the head - lines, though amateurs were still allowed to participate in many events. For example, the Tour de France included a category for “touriste-routiers” until the late 1930s, in which individual riders could fulfill their dream of riding the Tour de France. During its early years, the Tour de France itself changed greatly under the influ - ence of cyclotourism. The Tour was inaugu - rated in 1903 as the longest race of all time, run in stages around the entire perimeter of France. However, the studiously avoided any major hills and passed far from the and Alps, which form the French border with Spain and Italy. The rea - son for this was simple: most bicycles still had only a single gear. Only a few inventive cyclo - tourists had begun to equip their bikes with multiple gears so they could explore the mountains (see sidebar). Bike manufacturers were not happy about this emerging trend because they were making easy profits from simple one-speed racing bikes. Retooling their factories for mul - Riding for Hope, tispeed touring bikes would have been very Pedaling for Progress... expensive. Perhaps in order to please his advertisers, the Tour’s organizer, Henri

4(% !-%2)#!. #!.#%2 3/#)%493 Desgrange, was strongly opposed to multiple gears. In his newspaper L’Auto, much was made of the fact that true racers used only a 0AN/HIO single speed and overcame the difficulties of the course “without cheating” by changing Hope Ride gear. In the ardent touring magazine Le !UGUST   Cycliste , cyclotourists retorted that if single- speeds were superior, the Tour should prove Whether you are an avid cyclist or havenÕt been this by going over the mountain passes that on your bike in years, we invite you to join the the cyclotourists climbed on their travels. American Cancer Society on a tour of Ohio next This was a challenge that the organizers of summer. The Pan Ohio Hope Ride is a four day, multistage cycling tour beginning in Cleveland the Tour could not ignore, and with each and ending in Cincinnati. Cyclists will travel passing year the Tour included more hills, through scenic Ohio, with overnights at three until in 1910 the first true mountain stage universities in an effort to raise awareness and went into the Pyrenees. funds for the American Cancer SocietyÕs Hope The story of the stage from Luchon to Lodges of Ohio. Bayonne — where professional racers suf - fered terribly on the 6,935-foot Col du Visit www.cancer.org/hoperide to register Tourmalet — is a well-known chapter in rac - and begin fundraising in the Þght against cancer! ing history. The first racer to cross the sum - mit, , passed the race organ -

30 ADVENTURE CYCLIST JANUARY 20 07 ADVENTURECYCLING .ORG that cyclotourists had been riding these very sistently in the top twenty-five on every one same climbs for years without encountering of the six stages, which averaged 400 kilo - undue hardship. meters each. After the first four riders were In fact, some even participated in the disqualified for cheating, Paret found himself Tour and showed that amateurs on multi - in eleventh place — a remarkable perform - speed bicycles could keep up with the poor - ance for a fifty-year-old cyclotourist on a ly equipped professional racers. One of them heavy bike. was Henri Paret, who in 1904 participated in The debate over whether single-speed the second Tour de France. Fifty years old racing bikes or multispeed touring bikes and a relative newcomer to cycling, he hard - were better suited to riding in varied terrain ly fit the description of a typical professional finally was settled after three decades in favor racer. His bike, a Terrot twin-chain touring of derailleurs. The Tour de France finally bike (one chain was powered at any time so allowed derailleurs in 1937, and that year, there were two speeds) weighed thirty-three the slowest rider rode a faster average speed pounds, or fifty percent more than a good than the winner the previous year, who had racing bike of the time. Unlike the profes - not been able to shift gears on the move. If sionals, Paret did not have follow cars, bike any proof was needed, this performance changes, handoffs, or any other sup - showed the advantages that derailleurs, izers without a word. A few miles down the port. (Not to mention “medical” assistance, championed by cyclotourists for decades, road, he went to sleep in a ditch, exhausted. because doping has been part of racing since could offer in the mountains. Fifteen minutes later, the great champion the earliest days.) Nonetheless, Paret was The decline of cyclotouring Octave Lapize arrived — on foot, pushing able to improve his position in the field as At the same time that cyclotouring his bike. He muttered “Assassins!” as he the Tour went on, showing that the stamina changed bicycle racing, bicycle touring itself passed the Tour organizers, before remount - of a cyclotourist and the ability to change was in a state of transition. Cars had sur - ing to win the stage and the Tour. Histories gears could overcome his handicaps. Out of passed bicycles as the fastest, most conven - of the Tour de France usually fail to mention more than seventy starters, Paret placed con - continued on page 49

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ADVENTURE CYCLIST JANUARY 20 07 ADVENTURECYCLING .ORG 31 continued from page 31 waned. Mass media thrived on the ient form of individual transporta - spectacle of bicycle racing, so racing tion. By the early 1900s, affluent finally surpassed cyclotouring in the cyclotourists moved on to motor - imagination of cyclists and the pub - bikes and cars. Cyclotouring rose lic. Ever since, cyclotouring has been again to popularity in Europe during a niche activity, enjoyed by those of the 1930s, however, when mandato - us who love to experience the coun - ry forty-hour workweeks and paid try at a cyclist’s pace. resulted in newfound For further reading leisure time for the less wealthy The story of the French cyclo - working classes. Huge numbers of touring movement until the 1930s is these people took up cyclotouring as inextricably linked with one person, a means of leaving their polluted Paul de Vivie. Under the pseudo - cities and seeing the country. The nym Vélocio, he edited the magazine ocean, the mountains, and many Le Cycliste , which inspired cyclo - places that had existed only in sto - tourists and gave them a voice. ries suddenly were within their Much of the information in this arti - reach, and a veritable cyclotouring cle comes from Raymond Henry’s boom ensued in Europe. (In the book Vélocio: L’évolution du Cycle et le Unites States, cars had become Cyclotourisme . affordable earlier, although generous vacation time is still beyond the Jan Heine is editor of Bicycle Quarterly , a magazine about the culture, technology, and reach of many, so the 1930s cyclo - . A recent feature article in touring boom never occurred here.) Bicycle Quarterly examined the influence of However, by the 1950s, even cyclotourists on the Tour de France. For more Man and machine. A late nineteenth-century cyclotourist European workers could afford cars, information, see www.bikequarterly.com. poses proudly with his advanced-for-the-time bicycle. and interest in bicycle touring again

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ADVENTURE CYCLIST JANUARY 20 07 ADVENTURECYCLING .ORG 49