2023Sports - Cycling - First Day Cover

According to many testimonies, the first bicycle that rode in Spain did so, to a certain extent, thanks to the Huesca politician Joaquín Costa. When Costa went to Paris to study, he was part of a group of Spaniards who collaborated with the works and preparations for the World's Fair in Paris. It was then that he discovered a strange transport with which a worker moved around the facilities: a cycle patented by Pierre Michaux's company in 1865 that had two wheels, two pedals and a very basic steering directly anchored to the front axle. Joaquín Costa recorded all this information and sent it to some acquaintances in his native Huesca. The plans for the bicycle came into the hands of a well-known friend and blacksmith from the area, Mariano Catalán, who shaped iron and wood, helped by his friends, Manuel Ricol and José Javierre. Once what can be considered the first Spanish bicycle was manufactured, all that remained was to learn how to ride it. Cycling has many years of history but in recent times it has been acquiring many more followers at a professional level, but above all, at an amateur level. Cycling is a highly competitive discipline that can be carried out as a team or individually. It is an extreme sport that involves the use of muscular strength. Although the followers of indoor cycling, which is one that is practiced with an exercise bike, have also increased, traditional cycling provides, in addition to a very complete way of practicing sports with different intensities, touring cities, enjoying landscapes and even, move from one place to another. The stamp issued by the Post Office has a rounded shape, simulating the plate of a traditional bicycle.