☕ for a brief time in the 1890s, bicycle enthusiasts in the US War Department wondered whether bikes could be used in combat.
They organized a series of trials, the most ambitious being the journey of the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps, a segregated unit of twenty Black soldiers and two white officers, across five states in the summer of 1897.
These men left Missoula in mid-June, crossing mountains and deserts, in snow and oppressive heat, with a bedroll strapped to their handlebars, 50 rounds of ammunition, and a rifle slung across their backs.
They arrived in St. Louis 41 days later after biking 1,900 miles.
And for a brief moment, these Black men were national heroes.
