Road Cycling in San Francisco
From the all-female bike clubs of the 1890s to the emergence of Strava in the last decade, the city has long been home to the latest developments within cycling culture.
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Most importantly, San Francisco is a great place to ride, and if you are travelling to San Francisco you would be crazy to miss out on the opportunity to do so.
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Livelo can help you enjoy an exhilarating road cycling experience when you travel to San Francisco with our comprehensive guide to cycling in the city, our fleet of hire performance road bikes, local riders to lead you on a guided ride and of course our unique concierge bike delivery service.
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History
Shortly after the first official cycling race was held in Paris in 1868, cycling as a sport emerged in the United States, with the sport really starting to gain pace in San Francisco in 1890s.
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The San Francisco Bicycle Club was established in 1876, being the second such club in the USA. They were soon followed by the California Cycling Club and the all-female Falcon Bicycle Club. By the turn of the century, thousands of clubs existed to support hundreds of thousands of riders, with organised races attracting up to 20,000 spectators.
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Recent American interest in the sport has been associated with the predominance of American riders in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and Greg LeMond winning the 1986, 1989 and 1990 Tours de France.
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While the Lance Armstrong era now casts a long shadow over the sport, a new generation of riders is emerging and the future looks bright for team USA.
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For more helpful things to know about cycling in the city and check out Livelo's Guide to Road Cycling in San Francisco here.
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(Photo: Cyclists pose in front of their high-wheelers. Courtesy California Historical Society)