It did not take long for cycling competitions to arise after bicycles were invented. Little tournaments sprouted in various parts of the globe. Towards the end of the 19th century, the “Golden Age of Cycling” came about and cycling events flourished throughout Europe, the United States, and even Asia, especially in Japan. While cycling’s popularity dropped in the US, the sport continued to play a major role in the athletic scene in Continental Europe, particularly in Spain, Italy, Belgium, and France. To date, the Tour de France, which was begun in 1903, is still the most famous and most important cycling event on the planet.

Cycling as a sport continues to evolve. Various professional racing organizations are always on top of this. The leading authority on professional cycling is the Union Cycliste Internationale. It is the governing body that sanctions all the races, including the Tour de France.

While cyclists do not generally achieve the kind of fame that football and basketball players do, there have been some who have managed to climb to the pinnacle and transcend over to the world of pop culture, as is the case with Lance Armstrong. Other cyclists of note are American Greg LeMond, Italian Mario Chippolini, German Jan Ullrich, and Australian Cadel Evans. True cycling fans, however, would say that Eddy Merckx is the true hero of cycling. These cyclists have won various awards for cycling. Some of the most prestigious of these are the US Bicycling Hall of Fame awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Cycling Center, VeloNews Magazine’s Cyclist of the Year, Velo Magazine’s the Vélo d’Or, etc. Of course, there is the Yellow Jersey (dubbed by Lance Armstrong as the Mellow Johnny, his mispronunciation of the French term for it “maillot jaune”). This is awarded to the overall winner of the Tour de France.

The awards are from various private organizations that support cycling. For instance, the US Bicycling Hall of Fame is an important private organization that aims to promote and preserve the sport of cycling in the country. Currently based in New Jersey, plans are being made to move headquarters to California. Some of the most recent inductees to this Hall of Fame are Dale Stetina (2007), Steve Hegg (2006), Ron Skarin (2005), and Ron Kiefel (2004). The International Cycling Center in Pennsylvania is another US-based agency that promotes the sport. It has its own Hall of Fame and various other awards. A couple of its awardees for Lifetime Achievement are Phil Ligett and Greg LeMond. Of course, there are the cycling-oriented publications too. VeloNews, for one, annually gives out both North American and International Cyclist of the Year Awards. Another magazine, the French Velo, gives out the Vélo d’Or, which is considered the most prestigious individual award given in cycling. Lance Armstrong, thus far, has won five Vélos d’Or.

Certainly, any World Number 1 ranking given by the Union Cycliste Internationale is considered top honors. Irish Sean Kelly was the first ever to be bestowed this award.