If a bicycle keeps you fit, then you might know why April 19 is a special day. If it's your birthday, then you can celebrate later. If you guess Tuesday, the second day of the working week, then you're not the only one who is planning about the weekend. It's Bicycle Day!
Here are three interesting stories related to this special event. It will be better not to prepare your biking gear. Here they are:
No one thought about Bicycle Day, even Albert Hofmann. The discovery of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) would be linked to Bicycle Day. It seemed a preposterous thought, but some things would happen accidentally. In this case, Albert Hofmann was studying the medicinal plant squill and fungus ergot when he found out about LSD. The native of Baden, Switzerland, who was working for Sandoz Laboratories, had no idea of his great discovery. He had to ride a bicycle to confirm it, where he experienced extremely stimulated imagination. It was a miracle that he managed to travel the distance, but a drug was born.
It was ironic that drug would taint cycling. "The Program", which was based from David Walsh's "Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong", chronicled the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong. The Sunday Times journalist was the first to uncover Armstrong's use of banned substances. Those who followed this story would be confounded and confused at the chain of events. (Let's not argue on which facts were true.) Walsh was vindicated when Armstrong admitted drug use, but it opened a can of worms. The Tour de France, the most prestigious bicycle race in the world, was tainted with cyclists suspended on doping. The likes of Sir Bradley Wiggins are trying to restore the credibility of the sport, but it might take some time for the fans.
You have a heart of stone if you didn't cry after watching "The Bicycle Thief". The setting was Rome after World War II, and a father and his young son searched for their stolen bicycle. It was a landmark in Italian neorealism, set among the working class and featured non-professional actors. Director Vittorio De Sica, who penned the screenplay, would provide his viewers with insights that they wouldn't expect from the slums. Could the bicycle be a moral compass? The poor father wouldn't think of it, as the bicycle provided him (and his young family) with their only means of living. But his young son saw hope. It would be up to moviegoers to agree or not.
If you can't think of anything else, then get your biking gear. There's nothing like a good exercise to start the day. You're aware of the benefits of bicycling, so there's no need to repeat it. Except if you didn't notice the love handles. Don't let a sunny morning pass away. (If it's raining, then plan for the next day.) If you happen to join like-minded people, who are crazy about bicycles, then there are more reasons to celebrate Bicycle Day. You can talk about it among yourselves. Make sure you won't take a pill.
