“Why cyclists inspired a dessert” – Paris-Brest

The Paris-Brest was invented by Louis Durand, a pastry chef in Maisons-Laffitte, at the request of journalist Pierre Giffard, founder of the Paris–Brest–Paris. Its wheel-like form symbolized the race’s route and quickly gained fame among cyclists as a rich, energy-packed treat. It remains a hallmark of early 20th-century French pastry innovation.