By the time the Louisiana Cycling Club formed, the era of the high-wheeled “ordinary” or “penny-farthing” bicycle was coming to a close. The ordinary, which originated in Europe, had been introduced to Americans at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. It featured pedals attached to one very large front wheel, and a smaller wheel in the rear. The large, direct-driven wheel allowed the rider to gain great speed. If the rider hit a rock or some other obstruction, though, he would often fly head first over the front of the bicycle. Sometimes these “headers,” as they were called, had fatal consequences.