Scunthorpe, England
Where is Scunthorpe, England, you ask? It’s pretty much nowhere with not much to recommend it, yet it is being made noteworthy because of a steelworker and cyclist who worked in its steel mill and rode his fixed gear bike between his shifts, winning many races throughout England between 1913 and 1926. Albert White is being celebrated in a whimsical opera entitled “Cycle Song”. 
This article in Smithsonian magazine is a rare joy. In addition to information about Albert White’s cycling achievements, the opera created to honor him, and the history of the steel mill in Scunthorpe—at the time the second largest mill in Europe—there are some delightful descriptions of early bicycles, which will make you appreciate the advances we take for granted in the machines we ride today.