Quiz of the Day
Cycling & Bikes
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
World Bicycle Day — cycling records, Tour de France history, bike inventions
1. World Bicycle Day is celebrated on 3 June. In what year did the UN officially declare it?
- 2018
- 2022
- 2010
- 2000
The resolution was driven by Professor Leszek Sibilski, who campaigned tirelessly. The UN recognised the bicycle as a symbol of sustainable transport, with over a billion bikes in use worldwide — more than double the number of cars.
2. What was the name of the early bicycle with no pedals, invented around 1817?
- Boneshaker
- Draisine (running machine)
- Velocipede
- Penny-farthing
Baron Karl von Drais invented this two-wheeled, human-powered device in Germany. Riders straddled it and pushed off the ground with their feet. It was nicknamed the 'hobby horse' and briefly became a craze among European aristocrats.
3. How many stages does the Tour de France typically have?
- 21
- 18
- 25
- 15
The Tour covers around 3,500 km over 23 days (21 stages plus 2 rest days). Riders burn roughly 5,000-8,000 calories per stage — equivalent to eating about 15 Big Macs a day just to maintain body weight.
4. What colour jersey does the overall leader of the Tour de France wear?
- Yellow
- Green
- White
- Red
The maillot jaune (yellow jersey) has been used since 1919. It was chosen because the sponsoring newspaper, L'Auto, was printed on distinctive yellow paper. Wearing it puts a massive target on a rider's back.
5. What is the world hour record in cycling — how far can a person cycle in one hour?
- Around 56 km
- Around 65 km
- Around 46 km
- Around 40 km
As of 2024, the men's record is 56.792 km set by Filip Maciejuk on a velodrome track. That means maintaining over 56 km/h for a solid hour — faster than city traffic — powered by nothing but human legs.
6. In which country were pneumatic (air-filled) bicycle tyres invented?
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- United States
Belfast veterinarian John Boyd Dunlop reinvented the pneumatic tyre in 1888 to help his son cycle more comfortably to school over cobblestones. He didn't realise Robert William Thomson had patented the idea in 1845 but never commercialised it.
7. What is a 'peloton' in cycling?
- A type of racing bicycle
- A velodrome track
- A steep mountain climb
- The main group of riders in a race
Riding in a peloton can reduce air resistance by up to 40%. The riders at the front do the hard work of cutting through the wind, while those behind 'draft' — which is why teams take turns at the front.
8. Which famous cyclist won five consecutive Tour de France titles from 1991 to 1995?
- Miguel Indurain
- Bernard Hinault
- Eddy Merckx
- Greg LeMond
The Spanish rider had a resting heart rate of just 28 beats per minute (normal is 60-100) and lungs that could hold 7.8 litres of air — about 2 litres more than average. His physiology was genuinely extraordinary.
9. What is the penny-farthing bicycle best known for?
- Being the first bicycle with gears
- Its extremely small wheels
- Having three wheels
- Its very large front wheel and tiny rear wheel
The front wheel could be up to 1.5 metres in diameter. The larger the wheel, the faster you could go (no gears existed yet). Falls were common and extremely dangerous — riders went head-first over the handlebars, called 'taking a header.'
10. Approximately how many bicycles are produced worldwide each year?
- About 100 million
- About 70 million
- About 30 million
- About 130 million
That is roughly double the number of cars produced annually. The Netherlands has more bicycles than people — about 23 million bikes for 17 million residents. In Copenhagen, more people commute by bike than by car.
11. What does BMX stand for?
- Bicycle Motor Cross
- Big Mountain Xcross
- Bicycle Motocross
- Bike Max Xtreme
BMX originated in the late 1960s when kids in California started racing their bikes on dirt tracks, imitating motocross riders. It became an Olympic sport in 2008 and freestyle BMX was added at Tokyo 2020.
12. Which city is widely considered the most bicycle-friendly in the world?
- Amsterdam
- Copenhagen
- Tokyo
- Portland
Copenhagen has over 380 km of dedicated cycle lanes and 62% of residents cycle to work or school. The city even has a 'Green Wave' system — traffic lights are timed so cyclists riding at 20 km/h hit green lights all the way.
13. What record-breaking speed has been achieved on a bicycle (with drafting behind a vehicle)?
- About 200 km/h
- About 150 km/h
- About 280 km/h
- About 350 km/h
In 2018, Denise Mueller-Korenek reached 296 km/h (184 mph) drafting behind a dragster on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. She used a specially designed bike with a 17-speed gearbox and rode in the vehicle's slipstream.
14. The bicycle played an unexpected role in which social movement of the late 1800s?
- The temperance movement
- The abolition movement
- The women's suffrage movement
- The labour movement
Susan B. Anthony said the bicycle 'has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.' It gave women independent mobility and helped make restrictive corsets and long skirts impractical, advancing dress reform.
15. What is the longest bicycle in the world, as recognised by Guinness World Records?
- About 25 metres
- About 60 metres
- About 42 metres
- About 15 metres
A team of Santos and the University of South Australia built a rideable bicycle measuring 41.42 metres in 2015. It had to be ridden for at least 100 metres in a straight line to qualify — no easy feat on a bike longer than a bowling lane.