Before there were carbon frames, spandex shorts, and that one guy who yells “On your left!” like it’s a battle cry, there was the first organized bicycle ride—or, more accurately, bike race—on May 31, 1868, in Parc de Saint-Cloud, near Paris. Yes, the French once again outpaced everyone in turning human suffering into a chic public event.

Organized by the Michaud brothers—who helped invent the pedal-powered velocipede, aka the “boneshaker”—this event was less Tour de France, more “Let’s see who survives this 1,200-meter wobble on wheels made from wood and pain.” The winner? A British guy named James Moore, because of course the Brits had to show up and dominate something French.

Moore pedaled his way to glory on a bike that had iron-rimmed wooden wheels and solid rubber tires, which sounds less like a vehicle and more like medieval torture equipment. But hey, it was the 1860s—people were bored, cholera was a thing, and strapping yourself to a splintery contraption and calling it a “race” was just another Saturday.

Was it a fun ride through the park? Absolutely not. Was it a historic, slightly ridiculous moment in human ingenuity? Oh, absolutely. That little race kicked off a two-wheeled obsession that’s still going strong—only now it comes with GPS tracking and $300 helmets.

So next time you're huffing up a hill in Lycra, remember: you're continuing a tradition that started with French inventors, wooden wheels, and one very determined Englishman.