“The bike embodies the myth of the free man.”
Aligi Sassu
A chassis, two wheels and nothing more. The bicycle is a means that is part of our daily life, the most used and widespread in the world.
The once upon a time dates back to 1490, when Leonardo Da Vinci, in the “Codex Atlanticus”, drew the first sketch of a vehicle absolutely identical to the modern bicycle. 300 years later Count De Sivrac builds the Celerifere, entirely in wood, without gears or chains and therefore with the possibility of advancing simply pushing with the feet to the ground. But we are still far from the image we have nowadays of the bicycle. It is at the beginning of the XIX century, in Germany, when Baron Karl von Drais make some changes to the French model creating the Draisine: more like a modern bicycle, but still a pushbike. Right setting up one of these, the French coach builder Pierre Michaux takes the liberty of some improvements creating, with his son Ernest, the Velocipede: a mechanical vehicle with hubs, pedals, brakes and handlebars, very similar to the modern version of the bicycle. The peculiarity of the latter is the very high front wheel that gives to the cyclist a rider position, thus remembering the horse, which at the time is undoubtedly the most popular means.
Skepticism and curiosity accompany this discovery that continues to evolve until 1880 when Rover, an English company, brings to the market the Rover Safety, which is then improved by Boyd Dunlop in 1888 with the patent of the first tire with air chamber. Prices go down and the bike becomes more accessible.
So we have the city bike, but in 1933, in the United States, Ignas Schwinn patented the Schwinn Excelsior to facilitate delivery to the delivery of delivery agents. This is the only bike up to the early Downhill races in the late ’70s in California. From here Gary Fisher, one of the first downhill riders, applies a few minor modifications to the Mountain Bike.
Nowadays we have bicycles really for every use: for walking, for racing, for enduro, for downhill, electric and not. In this last year, rediscovering nature and surroundings, we have all also rediscovered bicycle and the cycling.
At AbanoRitz we have since always the free rental of city bicycles. Recently we also collaborate with Viaggiare Curiosi in a European sustainable tourism project in and with the Euganean Hills Regional Park. Meraviglie Euganee in Bici are 6 different itineraries proposed to discover the territory among villas, castles, museums, labyrinths and abbeys, but there are many periodically organized tours that we invite you to discover.
Nearby, within a radius of 10 kilometers from the AbanoRitz, there are also good areas for enduro. The most popular spot is Galzignano, but very technical paths are also in Teolo or on the Mount Rua, still in the Euganean area.
We just have to point out the last unmissable offers of the AbanoRitz to end the day in relaxation, with a nice massage or pampered by the thermal waters of our pools, or to start the day with the well-being and optimism of our thermal mud.
