 In the late 19th century, the need for speed broke into the velodromes. The novelty was paced-races, where the cyclist followed another one to take advantage of the slipstream. The rider ahead was part of a team and was replaced by the following one after a short time to ensure fresh legs to do the tough job at the front. The further evolution to go faster was the use of tandems with two riders, then three on a triplet, then four, then five on the same quintuplet bicycle. Motorbikes specially crafted for pacing replaced in the early 20th century all these pushing legs, with the driver sat back over the rear wheel and long.... read more |
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