Recumbent bicycle on and beat the UK 4-man pursuit champions VC St Raphael in a 4000 m challenge race at Reading, beating them by a margin of 4 min 55.5 s to 5 min 6.87 s – and dropping one of the St Raphael riders along the way. In 2009 Team RANS won the Race Across America (RAAM) on recumbents. A partial list of manufacturers (see also Velomobile manufacturers): Recumbent bicycle A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed
French bicycle industry for the rebirth of the French industry. In 1881, Paul de Vivie, a man of twenty-eight, bought his first bicycle, an "ordinary". By 1887, de Vivie decided to devote his attention to his avocation; he sold his business, and moved to Saint-Étienne, where he opened a bicycle shop and started a magazine, "Le Cycliste". Velocio, as de Vivie was known, began to import bicycles from Coventry; within two years, however, he had begun to produce his own bicycles. His 1889 "La Gauloise" was the first bicycle produced in France. French bicycle manufacturers have included: French bicycle component manufacturers have included: