You thought the Great Victorian bike ride was hard…well let us introduce fabulous American author, David Herlihy’s and his The Lost Cyclist. Set in the late 1880s. Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. He finally got his chance by recasting himself as a champion of the downsized “safety-bicycle” with inflatable tires, the forerunner of the modern road bike that was about to become wildly popular. 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. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. He never made it.

Tuesday 12 April, 6.30pm
Readings Carlton
Bookings: 9347 6633