UK Bike Week is set for 8-16 June, when Cycling UK urges us to pedal for fun and fitness. To get us in the mood, Graeme Wilcockson gives a brief history of cycling and tips on how to get going.
They say you can’t reinvent the wheel, yet it’s not been for the want of trying. In 1817, when Baron Karl von Drais created his ‘hobby horse’, a gentleman’s plaything became a two-wheeled solution to a four-legged problem.
The 1815 eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora had catastrophic global consequences; as what was the largest explosion in recorded history had deposited an ash cloud thousands of miles across, impacting the climate of Europe and North America. The summerless year which followed saw near-total crop failure, famine and the mass starvation of livestock across the entire Northern Hemisphere. This included the world’s then favourite form of transport: the horse.
Equine breeds of all kinds were in desperately short supply, and von Drais seized the opportunity. Stripping weight from his quad-wheeled beast and debuting a two-wheeled version, he marketed the toy across Western Europe. It was greeted with open arms — and aching legs. The 50 lb monster was a far cry from today’s ultra-light carbon fibre speed machines, but they were snapped up in droves. But it didn’t take long before a law was passed, banning them from pavements in England as a menace to pedestrians. Interest waned, and it took until the 1860s and the introduction of the bone-shaking Penny Farthing to see a resurgence. Pedals were introduced within a few years, and various patent battles were fought and lost. It was the Olivier Brothers whose design endured through mass production, and their pedal-powered velocipede became a blueprint for imitators across the globe, particularly in England where appetite was intense.
This story is from the Spring 2019 edition of Optimum Nutrition.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Spring 2019 edition of Optimum Nutrition.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Gluten : Problem Protein Or Fad Food Fear?
The ‘gluten-free’ label is becoming a familiar sight. Mike Murphy looks at why more people are choosing to cut out this natural protein, even without doctors’ orders.
Summer Of
Summer is when we want to be out and about, as the warm embrace of the sofa on a cold winter’s night becomes a distant memory. So where do you go when the brain is willing but the body just can’t cut it at the same level of performance that it managed decades ago? Graeme Wilcockson reviews a few ways to satisfy those competitive weekend instincts that will tax both mind and body — yet leave you able to move on Monday morning
Eat For A Glow That Is More Than Skin Deep
Now that summer is here, it’s time to peel off the layers and make some vitamin D. But if your skin isn’t as peachy as you would like, or if you are worried about staying safe in the sun, find out how good nutrition may support your skin’s health. Maggie Charlesworth writes
Natural Beauty
If headlines about microbeads from cosmetics polluting our seas have got you wondering how you can do your bit for the environment, try using nature’s harvest to feed your skin. Hannah Maryse Robinson writes
Common Kitchen Practices Making Us Sick
Every year, thousands of us fall sick from food poisoning because of how we have handled food. Louise Scodie and Louise Wates look at common ways in which we are going wrong
Could Antioxidants Save Our Bacan?
Nitrates and nitrites have long been linked to cancer. We look at how they are part of a chain reaction that may not always be harmful to human health... So what’s the case with bacon?
Red Meat
Depending upon the headlines, red meat can be in or out of favour; we look at recent research.
The Big Sleep
With more demands on our time, sleep is becoming a poor relation. Jane Dawson investigates the associations between health, feeling good, and that all-important eight hours sleep a night.
Tea
Tea, especially the green variety, is often touted as a panacea for health and even weight-loss. Louise Wates puts the kettle on and looks at whether it is a reputation that is well-deserved.
When Bad Is Good
Social campaigner Mary Whitehouse abhorred it. Writer and actor Stephen Fry has publicly done and defended it. But how do you feel about swearing? Yeshi Dolma writes.
