Baron Pierre de Coubertin had a unique way of expressing his love for each of the individual sports in the Olympic Games.  At the Paris Games in 1900, he used a bicycle to race from event to event across the city, trying to cover as many competitions as possible.  He loved technical advancements and sporting innovations of all kinds—and it is obvious from this passage, which comes from his reflections on the “XI Olympiad,” that he had deep love for the bicycle and the sport it engendered.  The photo depicts the Baron on a ride in Nice, France, circa 1905.

“Is humanity really aware of everything it owes to the bicycle, not only concerning the technique, but also, I would even say, above all concerning its physical upward trend? Is humanity aware of the incredible extent of dexterity, balance, self-confidence, physical well-being, muscular strength that this wonderful invention has brought the human race? This enough is reason for cycling to be represented in the Olympic Games program, as a kind of thank you homage towards mankind.”