Icons of cycling: The bidon

We take in the history of the humble but essential cycling drinks bottle

It’s a familiar scene: a pro cyclist takes a drink before casually throwing the container to the roadside where it’s picked up by a frenzied fan. The container is a bidon, a simple plastic drinks bottle that has been developed and refined over the years specifically for cyclists.

Hundreds may be discarded over the course of a race, and the moment it hits the ground it transforms from a carelessly discarded piece of rubbish to a collector’s item a grown man will fight his own kids for.

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Chris Sidwells
Freelance Journalist & Author

Chris has written thousands of articles for magazines, newspapers and websites throughout the world. He’s written 25 books about all aspects of cycling in multiple editions and translations into at least 25

different languages. He’s currently building his own publishing business with Cycling Legends Books, Cycling Legends Events, cyclinglegends.co.uk, and the Cycling Legends Podcast