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Cycling in Brazil — how it all started and who was part of this story
The date of arrival of the bicycle in Brazil is not certain. However, it is known that it occurred between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, with waves of immigration from Europe in crisis.

Soon, bicycles became so popular that clubs and the first competitions also began to appear. The Rio-Grandense Velodrome, for example, hosted the first race on an official track in 1898, the same year that Caloi opened its doors in São Paulo.

Inauguration of the Caloi Factory
Inauguration of the Caloi Factory (Credits: https://fpciclismo.org.br/)
In the following years, cycling in Brazil continued to grow in popularity and participation. In 1904, Antônio Prado Junior was the first Brazilian athlete to participate in an international competition. On that date, the Velodrome World Championship took place in São Paulo, and he achieved sixth position.

Afterwards, the competitions increased even more. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Paulista Cycling Federation and the Gaucho Cycling and Motorcycling Federation were created, respectively. In 1938, the first Brazilian championship took place in Porto Alegre.

In the next decades, the sport continued to gain space, with an increasing participation of Brazil in international competitions, such as the Olympics. In addition, bicycles became more popular, also being part of the daily life of Brazilians.

Brazilian participation in the Olympics and some outstanding athletes
Although bicycles already existed in Brazil at the end of the 19th century, the country had its first representatives at the Berlin Olympics only in 1936. They were:

Ricardo Magnani;
Dertonio Ferrer;
Hermogenes Netto.
In 1960, at the Rome Olympics, Anésio Argenton ranked sixth in the race against the clock competition. Then, due to lack of classification, Brazil only returned to participate in the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.

Another loss of classification left the country out of the 1976 Olympics. However, in 1980, Brazilian participants again attended the competition in Moscow, and since then, 40 years later, they have never been left out.

Despite this large participation, Brazil is still not part of the medal table of the competition, with emphasis mainly on athletes from Europe. However, this situation is not a reason to devalue the sport. After all, many Brazilian athletes have achieved great achievements in other competitions, demonstrating that the country has a lot of capacity to win an Olympic medal.

Brazilian cycling athletes
The list of athletes who take Brazil to competitions is not small. Among the many names, meet one of the greatest Brazilian athletes in cycling, who traveled the world winning medals. See also the 43-year-old multi-athlete who has an Olympic spotlight in Mountain Bike and still expects medals for the next few years.

Luciano Pagliarini
An athlete with a great track record in cycling in Brazil, Luciano started his career early, at 13 years old. Standing out in the top positions in state and national championships, he joined the Italian team IMA, having participated in the Tour de France in 2002.

Participating in the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, he had to abandon the road race. However, later, in 2007, at the Pan in Rio de Janeiro, he won, in the same dispute, the bronze medal. In 2008, he participated in the Beijing Olympics, ending his career in 2010, after more than 300 victories around the world.

Luciano Pagliarini
Luciano Pagliarini
Jaqueline Mourão
Having participated in six winter and summer Olympics, Jaqueline began her cycling career at age 15, becoming one of the biggest names in women's mountain biking. She was elected five times as the best athlete of the modality by the Brazilian Olympic Committee.

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