The hub of national cycling grandeur is in our own back yard.
A quick trip to the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame, 303 Third St., reveals old school big-wheeled bikes and slick road cycles alike. This year, though, the museum is debuting a few new exhibits through its new kids corner in the Hall of Fame’s downstairs museum.
Locals can pedal alongside “Lance Bonestrong,” a model skeleton placed atop a bright green tandem bike. Bonestrong leads the way through physics experiments and playful pedaling, but not without a hardy helmet on his head.
Kids also can measure their pedal power behind a bright red stationary bike or tinker with wooden gears that hook into a small motor to gain a hands-on understanding of how bike gears interlace.
These new exhibits are donations from the Imaginarium, formerly housed in Nevada City. Many of the models are similar to the physics experiments found at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
After getting their heart rates up, locals can revel in the classic exhibits that have filled the Hall of Fame since its opening in 2010. The museum offers an interesting look at cycling history that’s not just for bike enthusiasts.
The Hall of Fame walks locals through the evolution of the bicycle, stretching back to the first big-wheeled bicycle invented in 1823.
“Back then, they pushed along like Fred Flintstone in his car,” said David Takemoto-Weerts, retired UC Davis bicycle coordinator and a Hall of Fame volunteer, motioning to a big-wheeled predecessor to the bike that had no pedals.
Visitors also can see how innovations in tires — from hard rubber to pneumatic — and gears propelled bicycles through history.
Racing tricycles and a six-seated tandem bike are just a few of the wonders that cover the museum floor. In total, the Hall of Fame houses more than 70 historic bikes, and plenty of interesting gear on display alongside them.
Upstairs features a shrine to the greats, housing plaques, uniforms and dedications to more than 150 cyclists who have been inducted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. Names like Eric Heiden — an Olympic speed skater-turned-Tour de France cyclist — or internationally renowned American cyclists George Mount and Greg LeMond jump off the walls.
“Everyone has a story, and that’s what we try to say,” said Bob Bowen, president of the Hall of Fame’s board and the city of Davis’ public relations manager.
The Hall also pays homage to Major Taylor, a professional track racer during bicycling’s early heyday in the 1900s. Taylor set world records for speed during his races and was the second African-American to win a world championship in any sport.
“Many people don’t know that the first superstar athlete in America was a bicyclist,” Takemoto-Weerts said.
The Hall of Fame held a celebration in May to honor the 50th anniversary of America’s first bike lanes, which debuted in Davis in 1967.
— Reach Felicia Alvarez at falvarez@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8052. Follow her on Twitter at @ReporterAlvarez
