The bicycle blows out 204 candles!

Yesterday, June 26, the bicycle turned 204 years old!

The first patent for a "velocipede", without pedals or brakes, was in fact registered in New York on 26 June 1819, a date conventionally considered since then to be the birth date of the modern bicycle, even if the invention of the ancestor of the bike would be attributed to the German baron Karl von Drais in 1817.

We've come a long way since then, technology has advanced alongside society, creating increasingly innovative bikes, with refined designs and for all uses.

They are there though characteristics intrinsic to the use of the bike which have not changed, but which indeed always remain extremely current.

The safety road, for example. Statistics from all over the world have shown that the countries with the safest roads are precisely those where daily bicycle use is most widespread. As expressed by the "Safety in numbers" principle (already implemented in the General Plan for Cycling Mobility approved in August 2022 unanimously in the Joint State-Regions Conference), the more the daily use of the bicycle increases, the more victims are reduced for everyone road users: pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

Furthermore, the bicycle is the solution to traffic problems and city congestion. In Italy two thirds of car trips are on journeys of less than 3 km, minimum distances that can be covered more easily and faster by bicycle. Furthermore, thanks to pedal-assisted bikes, the bicycle has become a means of transport within everyone's reach, even in multi-level urban contexts and for commuting over longer distances.

An important point then concerns the health.

In fact, it is known that excessive sedentary lifestyle leads to major physical problems and cycling is a healthy activity for all ages and accessible to all.

Furthermore, the bicycle, being a "ready to use" tool, is the ideal solution capable of pursuing goals in a simple and economical way. energy and climate transition objectives. Furthermore, infrastructure costs for cycling are much lower than for other forms of transport.

Since it is a zero-consumption vehicle that is perfect for replacing a large part of current car journeys, it can be of great value contribution to sovereignty and energy security of our country, still very dependent on fossil fuels.

Finally, the daily use of the bike would also have a positive impact on the savings of families, as it does not require insurance, road tax or petrol!