Up to the First World War....Russia and France had strong political and cultural links...they were allies..the French invested millions of Francs in the Russian economy.....so it is not surprising that a French word...ie velocipede should end up in the russian language verbatim....so yes velocipede may be a Russian word now but its origins are French......moreover 'velo'.....has made its way into the English language.....not just velodrome [cycle track]......but many UK cycle clubs have the term 'velo' in it.......tis still a horrible bike!
and yeah, velodrome in russian is "velo drom" as well, which like velocipede, you are most likely right came into the language from discovering bicycles in france by the russians.
and yeah, velodrome in russian is "velo drom" as well, which like velocipede, you are most likely right came into the language from discovering bicycles in france by the russians.