The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.78 (769 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0547521987 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-04-16 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. This untold story culminates with Sachtleben's heroic effort to bring Lenz's accused murderers to justice, even as troubled Turkey teetered on the edge of collapse.A Look Inside The Lost Cyclist(Click on Images to Enlarge)Lenz (far right) in Glenshaw, with W. Bringing to light a wealth of information, Herlihy's gripping narrative captures the soaring joys and constan
Leslie Reissner said A Man's Reach Should Exceed His Grasp, Even on A Bicycle. L.P. Hartley began a novel with the sentence: "The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there." And in his new book, "The Lost Cyclist," noted cycling historian David Herlihy introduces us to a most peculiar world, albeit with elements that we would still recognize. The book is actually two stories The first deals with Frank Lenz, a young bookkeeper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who became a noted high-wheel bicycle racer in the late 1880s before recognizing his chance for fame and fortune would really come with the advent of a new kind of bicycle, the "safety bicycle," with new-fangled pne. Fascinating and Thoroughly Enjoyable Daffy Du Full disclosure: I'm an avid bicyclist, with a small collection of bicycle-abilia, so this book had me from the title. But just because a subject is enticing doesn't always mean the book will be.I'm pleased to report that The Lost Cyclist is a meticulously researched, fast-paced, supremely readable book that had me staying up later than I'd intended several nights in a row just so I could keep reading.Focusing on what today is a mere footnote in cycling history, the book is really the story of two--even three--bicyclists whose exploits gripped the nation over a century ago, and only one of whom was actually . "Wheels within wheels." according to Tanstaafl. I was not aware of the events portrayed in this book. Further, I haven't been on a bicycle in several decades. The former was set right by the reading of this book. The latter is something I hope continues.Herlihy's writing of the dawn of bicycle racing and foreign treks via two-wheels was quite enlightening. The story of Frank Lenz's journey was spotty due to the limited communications from him due to his locations. And, of course, much of the story of his disappearance must be conjecture.There are different styles of writing here. Much is reportorial and many times doesn't really capture the emotion of the
This untold story culminates with Sachtleben’s heroic effort to bring Lenz’s accused murderers to justice, even as troubled Turkey teetered on the edge of collapse.. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Tur