Bicycles On Stamps...

Here's an image of another stamp depicting a bicycle race, printed by photogravure, and issued by East Germany (DDR) on May 5, 1952 to publicize the 1952 edition of the "Peace Race," a 12-stage, 2135 km event over the route Warsaw-Berlin-Prague. The UK's Ian Steel won the 1952 race, and the British League of Racing Cyclists team also won the team competition - the first time that both classifications had gone to the same nation. Scott No. 98.

- nethryk

The 1962 event of the above, results Gainan Saydkhushin Russia

The 15th Race
SG1296


After 2006 the peace race was no longer held.

Rolling right along: 20th Peace Race, Warsaw-Berlin-Prague, 16 stages, 2307 km, overall winner: Marcel Maes, Belgium; winning team: Poland, printed by lithogravure, designed by Czech painter Tadeusz Michaluk (1938- ), and issued by Poland on May 5, 1967, Scott No. 1501.

- nethryk

And... the 25th Peace Race, 1972, Berlin-Prague-Warsaw, 14 stages, 2025 km. Overall winner: Vlastimil Moravec, Czechoslovakia; winning team: Soviet Union. Stamp designed by Tadeusz Michaluk, printed by photogravure, and issued by Poland on May 3, 1978, Scott No. 1875.

- nethryk

Inspired by all this, took the bike
out today, for my first spin after winter,
did a lazy 15Km up the hill out of town.
Not good, not good. It hurt.

The Lycra felt good though, seemed a bit tighter
must be my imagination.

Posties' old cycles sent to Africa

Royal Mail employee Melvyn Hodgetts is rescuing postmen's bikes from the
scrapheap to give them a new lease of life in Africa.

The firm has sent its 10,000th bicycle to Ghana in a recycling programme
that sends former delivery bikes and spares from the UK.

Following pressure from employees, Royal Mail devised the policy to help
the charity ReCycle.

Bikes are sent to projects in Ghana, Liberia, Uganda, Namibia and South
Africa so that local people can "cycle themselves out of poverty".

Mr Hodgetts, 51, from Witney, a safety development manager at Royal
Mail, travelled to Ghana in July with the latest shipment.

He said: "I saw that our bikes make a tremendous difference in Ghana,
helping people earn a living, getting children to school, and providing
healthcare.

"Outside the towns, transport is expensive or non-existent, so people
are faced with very long journeys by foot.

"To get a bicycle, people usually start by attending a bicycle
maintenance scheme run by one of ReCycle's local partners, then buy a
bike using an interest-free credit plan.

"Sometimes kids have to walk about 12 miles to school, so having a bike
can make a big difference. I plan to go back to Patriensa in Ghana next
year to teach the residents how to maintain the bikes them- selves."

Since the scheme began in 1997, Royal Mail bicycles have made a big
difference to people's lives in countries where bicycles are an
affordable means of transport.

The bicycles are highly prized by their new owners, and in Ghana are
bought for the equivalent of one month's wages - about £20.

The latest shipment of 400 bicycles arrived in Ghana's capital, Accra,
after a three-week sea voyage by container ship.

A family bicycle particularly benefits women, who may make multiple
journeys to fetch water and food every day.

Gertrude Mansah, the principal of the Agogo Ladies Training College,
runs the Cycling out of Poverty scheme.

This provides women with bicycles so they can transport food from town
to their villages, and bring farm produce to market to sell.

Thirty-eight local women are currently receiving bicycle maintenance
training before buying a Royal Mail bicycle at a reduced rate.

Ms Mansah said: "I would really like to thank Royal Mail for helping me
make such a difference.

"These bicycles really do help people help themselves."

Mr Hodgetts added: "Royal Mail bikes are popular because they have a
sturdy frame with a strong tray for carrying mail on the front.

"It is fascinating how people use them for carrying everything from beer
crates to furniture and even other people - in fact anything but post."

5:16pm Monday 17th September 2007

By Andrew Ffrench

rod222 - Cycling back to the topic of bicycle infantry in WW1, here is an image of a WW2-era stamp depicting a "modern" cavalryman receiving a wave of encouragement from a ghostly bicycle soldier, evidently a veteran of the previous war. This semi-postal stamp was designed by Hungarian artist and illustrator Tibor Gonczi Gebhardt (1902-1994), printed by photogravure, and issued by Hungary on December 1, 1941 to raise funds for the Army, Scott No. B138, SG No. 711. The cavalryman's "coal scuttle" Stahlhelm (German for "steel helmet") reminds us that Hungary joined the Axis powers on November 20, 1940.

- nethryk

Here is an image of a stamp depicting a cyclist, from a 1960 Summer Olympics set of eight stamps, designed by Polish graphic artist Stefan Malecki, lithographed and embossed, and issued by Poland on June 15, 1960 to commemorate Poland's silver medal in the 1924 Summer Olympics, Scott No. 916, SG No. 1162.

- nethryk

Nice one Nethryk,
I read the first a little differently
I think identical uniforms, hence German soldier
waving and giving encouragement to Hungarian in the same war.

Other cuban stamps with bicycle thematic:

rod222 - Thanks for the compliment and for your interesting comments about the Hungarian stamp I posted above. However, I believe my own interpretation is more persuasive, for the following reasons: 1.) Hungary, as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, fought on the German (Central Powers) side in WW1. Consequently, during WW1 Hungary's soldiers were issued a variant of the German army's M1916 Stahlhelm, the Hungarian M1917, which was manufactured by Krupp Berndorfer Metallwarenfabriken. 2.) The bicycle infantrymen depicted on the stamp appears to be wearing a WW1 vintage M1917 helmet, which may be readily distinguished from the cavalryman's WW2 vintage M1940 version Stahlhem by the reduced sizes of the flared visor and the skirt on the newer model. 3.) Although bicycle infantrymen were widely used by both sides during WW1, in WW2 they were almost entirely superseded by motorized infantry, especially in the German Wehrmacht. 4.) Finally, I think it unlikely that Hungary would choose to depict a foreign soldier, even one from its ally, Germany, on a patriotic semi-postal stamp which was issued to benefit the Hungarian Soldiers' Gifts' Fund.

- nethryk

Here is an image of a stamp depicting a racing cyclist, printed by photogravure, and issued by Romania on May 30, 1957 to publicize the 10th International Bicycle Peace Race, Prague-Berlin-Warsaw, 2220 km in 12 stages, which was won as an individual by Nencho Khristov, Bulgaria, and as a team by East Germany, Scott No 1154, SG No. 1531.

- nethryk

A compelling argument
I acquiesce.

Back to the bikes: Here is an image of a stamp depicting racing cyclists, designed by Czech sculptor Jan Cerny (1907-1978), engraved by Ladislav Jirka, with some photogravure, and issued by Czechoslovakia on April 25, 1956 to publicize the 9th International Bicycle Peace Race, Warsaw-Berlin-Prague, 2212 km in 12 stages, won by (individual) Stanislaw Krolak, Poland, and (team) the Soviet Union, Scott No. 747.

- nethryk

Bicyclists and globe, printed by photogravure, and issued by Philippines on December 5, 1965 to publicize the 2nd Asian Cycling Championship, held in Manila, Scott No. 940.

- nethryk