The first 100-km race in track cycling men in Olympic history at the Olympic Games 1896 in Athens took place on 8 April 1896th A total of 300 laps had to be completed in the Velodrome Neo Faliro . Of the ten drivers who started, only two made it to the finish.
During the race, the Greek Georgios Kolettis' bike broke, the French Léon Flameng stopped and waited for Kolettis to fix the bike until he continued the race. Flameng fell in the further course, but was still the first to cross the finish line with the French flag wrapped around his leg. Kolettis, who at this point had completed 289 laps, received the bronze medal for the runner-up.