Before the last quarter of the nineteenth century, people who wanted to travel independently either walked or rode horses. Then a newly invented machine changed forever the nature of personal transportation. The cycle-self-propelled bicycles, tricycles, and tandems-allowed almost anyone to travel around town, around their region, and around the world. While dramatic developments in equipment, clothing, road surfaces, and amenities make the physicality of cycling much different from the earlier era, the experience of cycling has seen little change. The Self-Propelled Voyager: How the Cycle Revolutionized Travel recounts how a transportation innovation opened the world for not only those who made the journey but also for the armchair travelers who read with interest the cyclists' accounts of faraway places. Following a brief history of the development of the cycle, this book describes the exploits of long-distance riders who wrote of their experiences, their triumphs, and their tragedies. Duncan R. Jamieson chronicles their journeys, their personal stories, and the times in which they lived, revealing that, despite the continuing rise and fall of cycling interest, people continue to enjoy traveling in the slow lane. Drawing on books and articles by the women and men who rode and wrote of their travels, The Self-Propelled Voyager also features photographs from the 1880s up to the modern day, illustrating the development of the cycle through history. Accessibly written yet comprehensive in its coverage, this book will interest not only the cycling enthusiast but historians focusing on sport and sport tourism as well.

Explore 63 of the best rail-trails and multiuse pathways across two states. All around the country, unused railroad corridors have been converted to public multiuse trails. Here, the experts from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy present their list of 63 of the best, most highly rated rail-trails and other multiuse pathways in Michigan and Wisconsin. Each entry includes detailed maps, driving directions to trailheads, activity icons, and succinct descriptions. Explore Wisconsin's iconic Elroy-Sparta State Trail-widely acknowledged to be the oldest rail-trail in America-or Lake Michigan Pathway, which features beaches and marinas that keep you in close touch with its namesake. Tour Michigan's state capital on the Lansing River Trail, which winds along scenic riverbanks for 8 miles, from the campus of Michigan State University to Old Town Lansing. Witness the effects of ancient ice floes on Wisconsin's landscape along the 52-mile Glacial Drumlin State Trail. You'll love the variety in this collection of Midwestern multiuse trails-from beautiful waterways and scenic areas to the hustle and bustle of the states' urban centers. So whether you're looking for a trail for a leisurely stroll, a bike ride with the family, or something a bit more challenging, you'll find it in this comprehensive trail guide.

From the remote roadways and rolling hills in Keweenaw County to the flat terrain and urban riding near Detroit, enjoy the dramatic diversity of Upper and Lower Michigan on two wheels. Grab this guidebook, put on your helmet, and hit the road for forty carefully designed tours that range in length from a 9.5-mile ramble to an 85-mile classic and cover a whole range of abilities and fitness levels.
Inside you'll discover:
-complete information about each ride, including directions, length, terrain, and traffic conditions
-vivid descriptions of points of interest
-brief listings of restaurants, accommodations, and restrooms along the way
-detailed maps and elevation profiles
Whether you are an experienced cyclist, an emerging enthusiast, or someone looking for a perfect family ride, you'll find routes throughout Michigan that are well suited to your ability and interest.

Explore 44 of the best rail-trails and multiuse pathways across two states. All around the country, unused railroad corridors have been converted to public multiuse trails. Here, the experts from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy present their list of 44 of the best, most highly rated rail-trails and other multiuse pathways in Iowa and Missouri. Each entry includes detailed maps, driving directions to trailheads, activity icons, and succinct descriptions. Explore the region's history by hitting the Frisco Highline Trail, retracing a 35-mile route of Harry Truman's "Whistlestop" campaign. Enjoy one of the most well-known trail art installations in the country along High Trestle Trail. Meander along farmlands and forests on the 21-mile T-Bone Trail, or visit some of the region's most welcoming communities on the nearly 240-mile Katy Trail. You'll love the variety in this collection of Midwestern multiuse trails-from beautiful waterways and scenic areas to the hustle and bustle of the states' urban centers. So whether you're looking for a trail for a leisurely stroll, a bike ride with the family, or something a bit more challenging, you'll find it in this comprehensive trail guide.

In the summer of 2016 musician Joanna Wallfisch released her third album, but was feeling jaded about the prospect of a conventional tour to promote it. Seeking to reconnect with her most adventurous and fearless self, she decided to do something radically different: a solo tour down the West Coast of America - by bicycle. Across six weeks and 1,850 kilometres, she would pedal from Portland to Los Angeles, performing concerts in every town along the way. It would be The Great Song Cycle, an experience unlike any other. Filled with humour, wonder and joy, The Great Song Cycle is a beautifully narrated story of adventure, a journey of discovery and, above all, a celebration of the artist's spirit.

This is the second edition of the definitive and bestselling guide to great mountain biking throughout England and Wales. With new clearer maps, updated content and the addition of the latest mountain bike centres. The Good Mountain Biking Guide is a huge book comprising 640 pages of detailed information and purpose drawn maps covering both natural areas and trail centres. It includes all major destination areas such as The Peak District, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, North & South Downs, Brecon Beacons numerous smaller areas, many close to major towns and cities. The book will help plan riding of all sorts - from quick blasts after work, to day rides, mountain biking weekends and holidays across the whole of England and Wales. The Good Mountain Biking Guide features 700 route suggestions for the 500 areas that it covers making it incredible value for money. There are over 300 superb photographs of real riders on the trails and annotations of key trail features. The route summaries give a total of 17,000km of riding, enough to suit all levels and types of rider. An overview map of England and Wales shows every key mountain biking location and allows planning at a glance. The book complements other maps and guides and refers to the most appropriate resources to take out on the trail for navigational purposes. The index of 3,000 place names allows immediate reference of the relevant map. Each of the 500 areas has details of all useful facilities - from parking to pubs, cafes and bike shops. The Good Mountain Biking Guide is the ultimate reference book and is the one book that every mountain biker should own.

When Jet McDonald cycled four thousand miles to India and back, he didn't want to write a straightforward account. He wanted to go on an imaginative journey. The age of the travelogue is over: today we need to travel inwardly to see the world with fresh eyes. Mind is the Ride is that journey, a pedal-powered antidote to the petrol-driven philosophies of the past. The book takes the reader on a physical and intellectual adventure from West to East using the components of the bike as a metaphor for philosophy, which is woven into the cyclist's experience. Each chapter is based around a single component, and as Jet travels he adds new parts and new philosophies until the bike is 'built'; the ride to India is completed; and the relationship between mind, body and bicycle made apparent.

A guide to 33 of the best mountain and road biking rides in and around Salt Lake City, Utah.

Florida visitors are often surprised by both the beauty of its trails and by the great variety of its landscapes. Although Florida doesn't have any mountains, it does offer trails with views of everything from beaches and bluffs to prairies and wetlands. In this comprehensive trail guide, you'll find some of the best, most beautiful trails in Florida. Many of the trails were converted from unused railroad corridors to become some of the best multiuse rail-trails in the state. In this guidebook, experts from Rail-to-Trails Conservancy present their final list of the top trails and rail-trails in Florida, selected from more than 100 in the state. In addition to details about each trail, Rail-Trails Florida also provides information about trail amenities, including restrooms, parking facilities, and water fountains.

An electric bicycle is, quite simply, a normal bicycle with an added battery and electric motor that just about double your pedal power - able to waft up hills and into headwinds, they take the sweat out of cycling, and give you supercharged legs! How long does the battery last? Are they expensive to run? Do you need a licence and insurance?This book is a complete buyer's guide to electric bicycles, and it answers all of these questions and more. Outlining the advantages (and pitfalls), with an overview of the types of bike available, what to look for, and why you should buy one, you'll also find useful contacts such as importers, websites and magazines, with advice on where you can ride and the law, including new legislation coming in 2017. Battery charging and maintenance is described, as well as some basic cycle maintenance, and there's an analysis of running costs and a look at the world of easy cycling they open up - electric bikes are not just for holidays.

"Road Biking New Jersey" is more than a set of thirty-five great bike rides. It's a tour of all the beauty and diversity the Garden State has to offer. After addressing bike safety, handling, and maintenance, the book focuses on the rides, with clear directions and insider commentary. Presented in three sections--North, Central, and South--the rides cover a variety of distances, terrain, locations, and traffic conditions, from 12- to 25-mile rambles to a 227-mile epic from northern New Jersey to Cape May. From the rural hills by High Point and the busy roads near the George Washington Bridge, to the beautiful Victorian houses on the shores of Cape May and the historic villages on the Delaware, "Road Biking New Jersey" comprises a whole host of sights to see and enjoy along the way.

For more than twenty-five years, FalconGuide(R) has set the standard for outdoor recreation guidebooks. Written by top outdoors experts and enthusiasts, each guide invites you to experience the endless adventure and rugged beauty of the great outdoors.
Up--and down--spectacular peaks, past ultra-blue lakes, through crisp clear air, Mountain Biking Lake Tahoe profiles the greatest rides in this cycling paradise shared by California and Nevada. Veteran mountain biker Lorene Jackson recommends her favorite routes, from easy cruising along the Emigrant Trail to hard-core technical rides on segments of the Tahoe Rim Trail.
Look inside to find:
GPS-compatible trail maps and route profiles
Mile-by-mile directional cues
Tips on riding and trip preparation
Difficulty ratings, average riding times, best seasons, and more

An awe-inspiring history of the five most legendary "classic" races in world cycling. The Tour de France may provide the most obvious fame and glory, but it is cycling's one-day tests that the professional riders really prize. Toughest, longest and dirtiest of all are the so-called 'Monuments', the five legendary races that are the sport's equivalent of golf's majors or the grand slams in tennis. Milan-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris -Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Lombardy date back more than a century, and each of them is an anomaly in modern-day sport, the cycling equivalent of the Monaco Grand Prix. Time has changed them to a degree, but they remain as brutally testing as they ever have been. They provide the sport's outstanding one-day performers with a chance to measure themselves against each other and their predecessors in the most challenging tests in world cycling. From the bone-shattering bowler-hat cobbles of the Paris-Roubaix to the insanely steep hellingen in the Tour of Flanders, each race is as unique as the riders who push themselves through extreme exhaustion to win them and enter their epic history. Over the course of a century, only Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck have won all five races. Yet victory in a single edition of a Monument guarantees a rider lasting fame. For some, that one victory has even more cachet than success in a grand tour. Each of the Monuments has a fascinating history, featuring tales of the finest and largest characters in the sport. In this revised and updated new edition of The Monuments Peter Cossins tells the tumultuous history of these extraordinary races and the riders they have immortalised.

This is a biography of Brian Robinson, racing cyclist. Brian Robinson, the first Englishman ever to complete the Tour de France, went on to make a career as a professional cyclist in what is generally regarded as one of the toughest eras in a very tough sport. He adapted to French life, the continental style of racing and the taxing demands of a long season with clear-headed tenacity. For all the British riders who later followed him to Europe - and there have not been many since his days as a lone coureur anglais, still a comparatively rare breed - he was, without dispute, the great pioneer.

Written for cyclists of all stripes, Best Bike Rides books offer a diverse array of scenic tours in and around some of America's largest urban destinations. Road rides, rail trails, bike paths, and single-track mountain bike rides all get included. Most rides are in the 5 to 30 mile range, allowing for great afternoon outings and family adventures. Each book features 35-40 rides with color photos, maps, and point-by-point miles and directions.

Here is a guidebook to the Elbe Cycle Route, possibly the easiest long-distance cycle route in Europe, being almost entirely flat or downhill for some 1200km. Cruise alongside one of Europe's great rivers as it flows from its source, through Czechia and Germany to the North Sea. This guidebook describes the route across 29 stages (together with a practical prologue stage), with stages ranging from 21 to 69 kilometres. Suggested schedules include 13, 15, 17 and 19 day options, making this a perfect 2-3 week cycle tour. Map extracts at a scale of 1:150 accompany clear route description, with gradient profiles provided where they are helpful. Background information on the region's history and natural environment is also provided, as are practical tips relating to preparation, transport to the start and finish, accommodation, amenities, navigation, safety and more. History abounds along this waymarked route. Pedal passed restored palaces, cathedrals, churches and other baroque and rococo buildings; see where the Iron Curtain once stood; and discover the great cities of Dresden, Magdeburg and Hamburg.

There are now over 2,000 cities with a bike share program. Bike Share examines all the major developments in the 50-year history of bike share. The book provides a detailed focus on contemporary bike share programs, including many of the most prominent systems, such as those in Paris, London, and New York, as well as the rapidly emerging dockless bike share sector. This book also addresses how rapid technological innovation, particularly in terms of mobile internet devices and electric assist bicycles may change the face of not just cycling, but urban mobility more generally. By the end of 2018 it was estimated that there are more than 20 million bicycles in the global bike share fleet, with most of these dockless, coming online only in the last three years. Consequently, research examining bike share has not kept pace with the rapid deployment of this new form of urban mobility. Bike Share addresses a number of key themes such as: The urban age, contextualising bike share within a wider urbanism movement and how it sits within the growing sharing economy. The impact of bike share, looking at systems in China, Europe, North America and Australia to see how these programs have changed travel patterns and consequent impact on car use, emissions, congestion, public health and safety. The bike share business model, including how ride sourcing services like Uber and Lyft are beginning to integrate their business with bike share service providers. Public reaction to bike share. Bike share gone wrong, looking at systems that have failed to achieve their ridership estimates. And the future of bike share including public transport smart card integration, mobile payments, and electric assist bicycles. The book provides scholars, city planners, transportation practitioners and students with a resource that captures the most pertinent scientific findings and practical lessons that have been from bike share programs around the world.

A TRUE CLASSIC OF CYCLING LITERATURE

'Nobody evokes the transformative joy of cycling the way Fournel does here ... magical' - Herbie Sykes

"I ride to rest and to tire myself out; I ride to do myself good and to do myself harm"

... one of the many cycling paradoxes explored in this unique and delightful book.

"I've never got over this miracle"

Starting with the childhood joy of learning to ride a bike, Need for the Bike goes on to relate the agony of climbing, the angst of crashing, and all the other universal moments and feelings which all cyclists will recognise.

"To get on a bike is to take possession of the landscape"

The sounds, smells, pains and joys of riding with friends or alone, finding things on the road; getting lost, "re-reading" familiar routes; Paul Fournel's classic comes as close as any book has to an encapsulation of why we all need the bike ...

From the rocky promontories and wide sandy beaches of the coast to the heights of Mount Hood and the Three Sisters, enjoy the dramatic diversity of Oregon on two wheels. Grab this guidebook, put on your helmet, and hit the road on the carefully designed tours, which vary in length and difficutly, and cover a whole range of abilities and fitness levels.Inside you'll discover detailed profiles of each ride, including traffic conditions, terrain, and length; vivid descriptions of points of interest; listings for local restaurants, hotels, bike shops, and rest rooms along the way; maps and elevation profiles. Look inside to find:
- Detailed maps and directions
- Rides for every fitness level and ability--from short rambles to challenging classics
- In-depth information about each ride, including length, terrain, traffic conditions, and road hazards
- Vivid descriptions of points of interest
- Options to create longer or shorter rides

"Mid-life crises don’t have to be boring and staid. Buy a mountain bike and the best adventure of your life is just over the next hill" - Quote unquote from the guy at the bike shop. What he didn’t tell you is that when you’re on a bicycle most hills turn into mountains. And he also didn’t tell you beware of riding next to guy with a long bucket list. Because he will casually ask if you want ride with him from Harare to Cape Town.

After completing the trip (unexpected experiences – both good and bad- forever skeyched in your memory), you get home exhausted but exhilarated, patting yourself on the back for having raised more than a million Rand for charity, and your friends call you lazy for choosing a downhill destination. So straight away, you look for another mountain to aim at, a pointy one this time called Kilimanjaro.

Cape Town to Kilimanjaro is about having fun, doing good, and above all doing epic. It will make you laugh and cry if you are on the receiving end of the intravenous antibiotics. Hopefully it will also inspire. All you need is a bike and a destination.

When UK Sport removed funding for women's BMX, Bethany Shriever's dream of Olympic glory seemed shattered. Throw in the impact of a broken leg sustained in childhood, plus an untimely arm injury weeks before the final Olympic qualification event, and few would have thought the 22-year-old would be on the plane to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, let alone the podium. And with the uncertainty caused by a global pandemic, the external pressures on Beth were intense and pervasive. However, the BMX racer from Essex is made of stern stuff and, perhaps just as importantly, so are the team around her. From her deeply involved family, to her dedicated coaching team, to her friends within the BMX community, Beth's story recognises the team behind an athlete. This compelling tale of triumph over adversity reveals how the power of belief overcame the obstacles that threatened to derail Bethany's dreams of becoming the best ever female BMX racer.

Plan a weekend of hiking, cycling, climbing, and paddling! Whether you're a novice or an experienced adventurer, North Carolina offers a variety of outdoor pursuits to enjoy-from camping in Pisgah National Forest to canoeing down the Nantahala River and hiking in the Croatan National Forest. There's no need to spend hours researching the best destinations or go on long, expensive trips. North Carolina Adventure Weekends by Jessie Johnson and Matt Schneider is for hikers who love to climb, paddlers who love to pedal, and anyone else whose idea of unwinding is an action-packed weekend in the great outdoors. With 12 exciting trips to choose from, you'll know where to stay and which adventures are truly weekend-worthy. Spend more time playing and less time driving from place to place. Each chapter in this full-color guide highlights a specific destination and includes hiking, cycling, climbing, and paddling opportunities rated for difficulty, as well as lodging options, restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops. You'll also get suggestions for where to stock up on supplies and what to do on a rainy day. With ideal outings for individuals, couples, families, and groups, get maximum adventure out of your weekends!

Doping in Cycling: Interdisciplinary Perspectives provides an up-to-date overview of the knowledge about doping and anti-doping in the sport that has dominated doping headlines for at least two decades. It critically addresses overarching questions related to doping and anti-doping, and topical issues being raised in the agenda of policy-makers at the global level. The book features cross-disciplinary contributions from international leading scholars in sports sociology, history, philosophy, psychology and criminology, and even beyond human and social sciences. Split into three parts (the use and supply of doping products; threats on cycling and opportunities for anti-doping; and issues, controversies, and stakes), it covers topics such as changing patterns of drug use in professional cycling, the impact of scientific advances on doping in cycling, whether cycling teams can prevent doping, whistleblowing on doping in cycling, and how to improve the credibility of the sport. This is a vital resource for researchers, students, policy-makers, anti-doping organisations and sports federations, and an important read for anyone involved in elite cycling.