Highlights Archives
Cycling Through History: Bike-to-Work Week
May is National Bike Month and the week of May 15th is Bike-to-Work Week. Everyday thousands of Wisconsin workers and students bike to work and school, a popular form of transportation and recreation in Wisconsin for more than 100 years. Some of Wisconsin's first bicyclists were seen "spinning around Market Square" in Racine in 1878. Only a few years later, more than 15,000 people in Wisconsin owned bicycles. Bicyclists quickly organized in the 1890s to promote bicycle transportation and the improvement of state roads. M.C. Rotier of Milwaukee also began publishing a monthly journal, The Pneumatic, in 1892, which provided travel information, club happenings, technological advances, and cycling gossip for all those "interested in wheeling." In 1901 the Wisconsin Legislature authorized counties to construct bike paths along any public road and appointed a board of cyclists to serve as "side path commissioners."
Bicycle enthusiasm waned with the emergence of the automobile in the early 20th century as bikes suddenly went from a high-class mode of transportation to more of a child's toy. During the Depression, bicycles were promoted as an economical form of transportation, and a number of education efforts were launched to encourage bike safety. These include what many consider to be the world's first bike safety film, "Bill's Bicycle," produced by William Stauber of Baraboo in 1939 (this film is still available to schools by contacting the Wisconsin Department of Transportation).
Bicycle use increased during World War II and continued to rise throughout the remainder of the 20th century. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, bikes actually experienced a "bicycle boom" as baby boomers, now young adults, returned to bicycling on the new lightweight 10 speeds. Wisconsin also took the lead nationally in developing guidelines for communities and counties looking to increase ridership and established the nation's only bicycle and pedestrian safety program in the 1970s. At the same time, the Department of Natural Resources began its rails-to-trails program with the development of the Elroy-Sparta Trail. Wisconsin now boasts more bicycle trails per capita than any other state and generates an economic impact estimated at $834 million annually.
Waterloo, Wisconsin, is also home to American's largest bike manufacturer, Trek Bicycle Corporation, the bike of choice for seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Trek's innovative carbon fiber frames, first introduced with the Model 2500, have become the foundation of the company's success.
Wisconsin's love of bicycling extends back generations. Almost everyone grew up riding a bicycle but, all too often, the beloved bike of youth has been relegated to a dark corner in the garage. But, with today's rising gas prices, perhaps more people will take another look at this human-powered two-wheeler and bike to work.
:: Posted May 12, 2006
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