The bicycle at the Olympic Games up to and including Tokyo 1964

Cycling is one of the Olympic sports practiced at the Olympic Games. The sport has been on the program continuously since the first edition of the modern Summer Olympic Games. An Olympic victory is regarded worldwide as the most prestigious victory in a sport. Medals are awarded in every event, with a gold medal for first place, silver for second, and bronze for third, a tradition that began in 1904. The Games have grown from 43 events with fewer than 250 men from fourteen countries in 1896 to more than 300 events for over 11.000 athletes of both sexes from more than 200 countries in 2008. Will you join me on a cycling-themed ride through a small selection from my collection regarding the bicycle at the Olympic Games? The 10th Summer Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles in 1932. No other cities had applied to host the Games. Since the 1932 Games took place during a major economic crisis, there were far fewer participants than at the previous Games in Amsterdam. The long journey many athletes had to make to reach Los Angeles naturally also played a role in the low number of participants. 1932. Gold Medalist, Italian Attilio Pavesi in the individual time trial over 100 km. 1956. Gold in Melbourne for Frenchman Michel Boisseaux in the sprint over 1000 metres.

Ercole Baldini won gold in the road race in 1956 over a distance of 187,7 kilometers. The Italian was immortalized on the triangular seals of the Dominican Republic. Rome was the venue in 1960. The Italian State and the Italian Olympic Committee provided financial guarantees for these Games. Indeed, no expense was spared: an 80.000-seat marble stadium was built at the foot of Monte Mario. The organizers attempted to incorporate the ancient buildings into the Games as much as possible. Gymnastics took place in the Baths of Caracalla, wrestling in the Basilica of Maxentius, and the marathon started at the foot of the Capitoline Hill and finished beneath the Arch of Constantine.

Belgian cycling delivered several medals, as usual. Belgium's second silver medal was won in cycling. Léo Sterckx finished second in the 1 km sprint. Furthermore, Willy Vanden Berghen took bronze in the individual road race over a distance of 175,3 km.

Cycling is a collective term for all sports involving the use of a bicycle. For cycling sports where speed is the deciding factor – and that is the majority – the term road racing is also used. The Netherlands was unable to win any medals in Rome.

On the block of four below, you see, as it were, an oval track on which track cycling is practiced. The slope of such a track usually has an angle of 33 degrees. A distinction is made between summer tracks (outdoors) and winter tracks (indoors). Riders ride a track bike, a bicycle without brakes or gears. The stamps look back (clockwise from the bottom left): 1924 Paris; 1928 Amsterdam; 1932 Los Angeles; and 1936 Berlin.

The Summer Olympic Games of the XVIII Olympiad were held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1964. Besides Tokyo, Detroit, Vienna, and Brussels had also attempted to host the Games. Tokyo had been chosen to host the Games as early as 1940, but they were later awarded to Helsinki, Finland, due to Japan's invasion of China. Ultimately, the 1940 Games were cancelled entirely due to the outbreak of World War II. The 1964 Games were the first to be held in Asia.

The organization of the Games was impeccable, thanks to a budget of twenty-six million dollars. The sports facilities were virtually perfect, with an impressive stadium and a gigantic Olympic swimming pool. The Olympic village was also a gem.

Dutch Cycling Performances in Tokyo

• Gold for the team road time trial, which was won by Evert Dolman, Gerben Karstens, Jan Pieterse, and Bart Zoet.
• In the team cycling pursuit, there was bronze for the team consisting of Jaap Oudkerk, Cor Schuuring, Henk Cornelisse, and Gerard Koel.

That concludes the Bicycle at the Olympic Games up to and including 1964.