Since he was dead when the sport of bicycle racing began, Charles Darwin could hardly have anticipated what a fine lens the sport of bicycle racing would provide into his theory of natural selection. (He died in 1882. It is believed that the first chain-driven bicycle was developed around 1885.)

Yet, those of us who race know there is nothing like a challenging race course to test the character and fitness of every racer.

For many years the US Professional Road Racing Championships were held in Philadelphia. The most selective feature of that course was an intense pitch known to just about all American professionals: the Manayunk Wall, which they tackled ten times in a 156 mile race. In the early days of the race, Manayunk was indeed selective. Very often the race would end with a solo rider throwing his arms up in the air.

In recent years, however, the level of the entire US peleton has risen, much as it has on an international level in Milan-San Remo. In the old days the Cipressa and the Poggio would break up the field in that race, but now everyone is so strong that the odds each year are in favor of a field sprint victory.