Something Interesting about Bikes

李傳雨

★自行車，是一種以人力驅動的簡便交通工具。它的發明和改進經歷了漫長而復雜的歷史過程。公元1642年，意大利一位櫥窗設計師在他所設計的羅馬教堂的彩色玻璃上，繪制了自行車的雛型圖案，但沒有造出實物。第一個制造出自行車實物的是法國人希布拉克，他在1790 年制成一輛木質自行車，這是一個了不起的發明和貢獻。

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.

★令我們驕傲的是我國有兩項國際性的自行車賽事，一個是環青海湖自行車賽，每年7至8月在青海省舉行，屬于亞洲頂級賽事，也是世界上最高海拔的國際性公路自行車賽。比賽總距離1350多公里，平均海拔3000多米，賽程10天，獎金總額30萬美元。比賽線路設計以碧波浩瀚、鳥翼如云的青海湖為中心，并向周邊地區延伸，沿途自然風光雄奇壯美，旖旎迷人。另一個是環海南島國際公路自行車賽，這項比賽已經成功舉辦三屆，海南各個市縣的群眾以及來自各地的觀眾都能近距離地欣賞高水平的國際賽事，這不僅擴大了環島賽的影響，同時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.

★環法自行車賽是世界影響最廣、規模最大、比賽水平最高的自行車比賽。它以歷史悠久、賽程艱難而聞名于世。從1903年7月1日第一屆環法自行車賽誕生至今已有百余年的歷史了。它的賽程累計3000余公里，對于選手來說，參加這樣的比賽是對毅力和體力的巨大考驗與挑戰。

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“北京自行車日”于4月28日在北京市東城區地壇體育中心舉行，本次活動共有來自全市48支騎行隊伍共500余人參加。

“北京自行車日”創立于2015年，每年都在四月的最后一個星期日舉辦活動。多年來，通過組織不同形式的各類活動，讓更多人參與到自行車運動中來，活動影響力逐年擴大。

“自行車日”還有一層含義，就是希望大家在這一天可以騎車出行，盡量不開車，通過活動的舉辦倡導節能減排、低碳環保的生活方式。

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.