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Wheels, races, glory. Swiss cycling

National Museum Zurich | 15.7.2022 - 16.10.2022
published on 12.7.2022

Whether on the road, indoors or out in the mud and snow, the bicycle has become a fixture of the global sporting landscape. And Switzerland can be proud of its many contributions to cycling’s success.

Ever since its invention in the 19th century, people have used the bicycle for sporting pursuits. Over the past century and a half, the bicycle has become one of the world’s most widely used items of sports equipment. And it’s not only the vehicle itself that has continued to evolve, but also its diverse range of applications. In addition to various road races, cyclists also compete indoors, cross-country, and even up and down hills and mountain trails. Completely new disciplines have been launched, such as Radball. Also known as cycle ball, Radball is a type of cycle sport devised by Swiss bicycle trick rider Nick Kaufmann at the end of the 19th century.

But it’s not only because of Nick Kaufmann and his exciting new way of riding a bike that Switzerland has accomplished so much in cycling. In addition to scores of international titles and medals, the Swiss have brought a number of highlights to the two-wheels game. For instance, in 1880 Hans Renold from Aargau invented the roller chain, an innovation that massively improved the energy transfer when cycling and contributed significantly to the bicycle’s rapid global spread. This type of chain is still used on most bicycles today, including in the sports sector.

The exhibition at the National Museum in Zurich invites visitors to take a short tour through the multifaceted history of Swiss cycling: from A for Arbeitersport (workers’ sport), to S for stars and Z for the Zurich Velodrome.

Documents

Images

Six-day race, 1968 | © © ETH-Bibliothek Zurich / Photo: Comet Photo AG (Zurich)
Six-day race, 1968

The aim of this six-day race is to travel the furthest possible distance on the track; riders split into teams of two.

© ETH-Bibliothek Zurich / Photo: Comet Photo AG (Zurich)

Well-earned break, 1966 | © © ETH-Bibliothek Zurich / Photo: Comet Photo AG (Zurich)
Well-earned break, 1966

Riders rest during a six-day race at the Hallenstadion Zürich-Oerlikon.

© ETH-Bibliothek Zurich / Photo: Comet Photo AG (Zurich)

Group Parade, 1930 | © © Swiss Social Archives
Group Parade, 1930

The group Arbeiter-Touring-Bund, founded in 1916, promotes the group sport.

© Swiss Social Archives

Modern artistic cycling | © © Frank Schwichtenberg, 2017
Modern artistic cycling

Flatland is a subdiscipline of BMX freestyle in which tricks and moves are combined in an aesthetic sequence.

© Frank Schwichtenberg, 2017

Military cyclists, 1938–1945 | © © Swiss National Museum
Military cyclists, 1938–1945

From 1891 to 2003 the Swiss Army included bicycle infantry units. In the pioneering days, the cyclists were used for despatch duties and conveying intelligence.

© Swiss National Museum

Cyclo-cross, 1976 | © © Swiss National Museum
Cyclo-cross, 1976

Since 1900, European road racing cyclists have been training off-road in autumn and winter in order to improve their fitness. This developed into a sport in its own right: cross-country racing.

© Swiss National Museum

Women’s cycle race in Geneva, 1950 | © © Swiss National Museum
Women’s cycle race in Geneva, 1950

There have been official cycling races for women since the 1950s. The first Tour de Suisse Women was not held until 2021.

© Swiss National Museum

Road racing, 1988 | © © Swiss National Museum / ASL
Road racing, 1988

The most important road race in Switzerland is the Tour de Suisse, which was first held in 1933.

© Swiss National Museum / ASL

© © Swiss National Museum

A view of the exhibition.

© Swiss National Museum

© © Swiss National Museum

A view of the exhibition.

© Swiss National Museum

© © Swiss National Museum

A view of the exhibition.

© Swiss National Museum

© © Swiss National Museum

A view of the exhibition.

© Swiss National Museum

Key visual at the exhibition | © © Swiss National Museum
Key visual at the exhibition

Graphic: Res Zinniker, Bern.

© Swiss National Museum

Please note that the downloading and use of images is reserved exclusively for journalists, teachers and other authorised parties. Images are only permitted to be used for the purposes of reporting on exhibitions, provided the captions and reference to copyright are included, or for teaching purposes. Many thanks!

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