Considering the very prestigious Tour de France commences tomorrow, July 4, we thought we’d help kick start your holiday weekend with a few fun facts about bike racing!

1. Since 1975 the Tour de France finish has been on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Before 1975, the race finished at the Parc des Princes stadium in western Paris and at the Piste Municipale. (Wikipedia)

2. Cycling was a part of the first modern Olympic Games that took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896. (Olympic.org)

3. In 1984, Bell became the official supplier to the US Cycling Team. (Bells Sports)

4. This weekend Lance Armstrong returns from a three-year retirement from the event to come back and compete in the 2009 Tour de France. (Sports Illustrated)

5. The world’s longest bike race is called Race Across America (RAAM) and covers 3,000 miles. (thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com)

And, as if you could forget, tomorrow is also Independence Day in the U.S.A! Have some interesting plans for the 4th that you’d like to share? Send us a shout out! We always like to keep up with what our community is up to!

Wishing a fun and safe holiday weekend to you and yours!!

Wondering who the winner of last week’s giveaway is? Well the wait is almost over – stop by Monday to find out! In the meantime, here are some interesting facts to fill your inquiring minds with.

1. A 130-pound cyclist burns 402 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour on a bike, and a 180-pound cyclist burns 540 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour. (League of American Bicyclists)

2. On the island of Langeoog, Germany, only fire and police officials are allowed to drive standard motorized vehicles. Most people get around by foot or bicycle. Even policemen and doctors ride bicycles! (Wikipedia)

3. The anatomy of a Bell helmet has six main components – the body armor base guard, the removable visor, the Bell logo, a custom graphic, air vents and a rear reflector. (Bell Sports)

4. The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1 percent to 1.5 percent of all trips. (Bikes Belong)

5. Almost one fourth of bicycle-car collisions result from bicyclists riding against traffic. Riding against the flow of traffic tends to confuse or surprise drivers. (The Injury Prevention Program)

Try not to bonk out on us anytime soon, because there are more Bell True Fit giveaways to come! You know the drill by now, but in case you forgot – please feel free to share some helmet and wheeled-sport facts of your own!

Memorial Day weekend is upon us – a time for commemorating those who served in the military to ensure all the freedoms we enjoy. It is also a time to have barbecues in the park and take bike rides with loved ones! For this reason, we wanted to both enlighten and prepare you for your family fun. You never know, your bike and helmet wisdom may just mesmerize your friends and family.

1. Just 3 hours of biking per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50 percent. (JonathanFit’s Blog)
2. Baseball batting helmets have an expanded protection over the ear, which protects the jaw from injury. (Wikipedia)
3. The first successful purpose-designed helmet was the Bell Biker, a polystyrene-lined hard shell released in 1975. (Absolute Astronomy)
4. The majority of bike crashes happen near home. (The Injury Prevention Program)
5. A bicycle built for two riders is called a tandem. Bicyclists riding a tandem sit in single file line, one behind the other. (KidBibs)

Please feel free to enlighten us with your own bike and helmet facts! Would love to hear some of the facts you have riding on your mind. And have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend

It’s that day again – Friday! And that means it’s time to share some helmet-related facts, because you never know when one may turn up as a Data Head question in your next game of Cranium!

1. The first two-wheel bicycle was called a Dandy Horse, and it was patented in 1818. (Wikipedia)

2. Bell Sports introduced its first children’s helmet in 1984, with the Li’l Bell Shell. (Absolute Astronomy)

3. The majority of bicycle-related injuries occur in the summer. (KidBibs)

4. Helmets are worn for at least 15 different types of sports. (Wikipedia)

5. The average person loses 13 pounds their first year of commuting by bike. (JonathanFit’s Blog)

Feel free to add onto this list with some helmet-related facts of your own. We’d love to know what’s pedaling through that brain of yours

Here at Bell we know a lot of random facts about helmets and wheeled sports. But, we also realize there’s always more to learn, and to share. For this reason, we’ve decided to start up an ongoing series of helmet-related facts. Since this is our first post of this nature, we thought some historical facts would be fitting for your noggins:

1. The helm (heaume) of a helmet emerged in the late 12th Century. (Wikipedia)

2. Helmets were originally created and worn for military purposes; their basic function was to protect the head, face and sometimes the neck from the cutting blows of swords, spears, arrows and other weapons. (Armadillo Armory)

3. The Assyrians and Persians had helmets of leather and iron, but it was the Greeks who changed things up with their innovative helmets made of bronze. (Armadillo Armory).

4. Roy Richter, an auto racer and pattern maker, begins manufacturing the first helmet – the ’500′ – in his garage located behind the Bell Auto Parts store in 1954 (Bell Sports).

5. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) created a mandatory standard for all bicycle helmets sold in the United States, which took effect in March 1999. (Absolute Astronomy)

Know any helmet-related facts? As we mentioned, we’re always interested in learning more about helmets and sports. Feel free to leave us a comment sharing your own random helmet knowledge and maybe we’ll highlight it an upcoming post (offering credit where credit is due, of course).