Hasenauer speaks at UCI Centenary

IMBA Trail News
Volume 13, Number 2
Early Summer 2000

IMBA Board member Jim Hasenauer was one of four featured speakers last month at the International Cycling Union's (UCI) 100th anniversary celebration in Paris. The UCI - which governs bicycle racing worldwide - began in Paris on April 14, 1900, as an association of the Italian, Swiss, U.S., French and Belgium cycling federations. Now the UCI has 170 national federation members.

The year-long Centenary Celebration began in Paris with the start of a three-day ceremonial ride that proceeded to Lausanne, Switzerland. In addition, there were a number of special activities and ceremonies commemorating the milestone.

The academic symposium, the first formal activity of the weekend, included speeches on the early years of the bicycle; the history of bicycle racing and the cultural impact of the bicycle. Hasenauer spoke on bicycling and the environment. The audience comprised 150 representatives of national cycling federations from around the world. Speeches were simultaneously translated into French and English.

Hasenauer's speech, "The Bicycle: A Small Green Machine," thanked the UCI for its support of both road and mountain bike advocacy and argued that the bicycle can contribute to individual, community and planetary health. Hasenauer's speech is available on IMBA's Web site www.imba.com.