eBook - ePub
The Lost Cyclist
The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance
- 336 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
The Lost Cyclist
The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance
About this book
This "fascinating" story of a nineteenth-century mystery "should appeal to most lovers of history, as well as to bicycling enthusiasts. Strongly recommended" (
Library Journal).
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.
Lenz never made it. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Turkey sparked an international outcry and compelled Outing to send William Sachtleben, another larger-than-life cyclist, on Lenz's trail. Bringing to light a wealth of information, David Herlihy's gripping narrative captures the soaring joys and constant dangers accompanying the bicycle adventurer in the days before paved roads and automobiles. 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.
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.
Lenz never made it. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Turkey sparked an international outcry and compelled Outing to send William Sachtleben, another larger-than-life cyclist, on Lenz's trail. Bringing to light a wealth of information, David Herlihy's gripping narrative captures the soaring joys and constant dangers accompanying the bicycle adventurer in the days before paved roads and automobiles. 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.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Lost Cyclist by David V. Herlihy in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Historia & Biografías históricas. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Shortly after concluding his deal with Outing in April 1892, Frank Lenz struck this studio pose, probably in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. This was not the equipment he would actually use, but it served for this publicity shot.
Lenz, an avid amateur photographer, superimposed three images of himself in distinct moods.
Lenz lounges with his friends during a ride near Pittsburgh, about 1890. Left to right: Charles Petticord, Warren T. McClarren, Lenz, and an unidentified man. Note Lenz’s homemade sunshade, attached to his camera case.
McClarren, Petticord, and Lenz ride through Glenshaw, near Pittsburgh, about 1890.
The same trio (Lenz in center) poses in Cleveland’s Wade Park, July 4, 1890, the same day Allen and Sachtleben arrived in Liverpool to start their world tour.
Petticord and Lenz stop in Collinsville, Illinois, en route to St. Louis, August 1890.
Lenz (under his sunshade) leads his buddies and members of the Canton Bicycle Club, July 9, 1890. Petticord is on the far left.
Lenz (far left) and Petticord (middle) on Pittsburgh’s Smithfield Street Bridge, August 9, 1891, departing for New Orleans. Between them is Ned Friesell, who considered going with Lenz on his world tour.
Two days later in Petersburg (now Addison), Pennsylvania, Lenz and Petticord share a bed.
En route to New Orleans, Lenz surveys the rugged road across the Alleghenies.
On the same trip, Petticord stands ready to greet the citizens of Trenton, Georgia, while Lenz takes the photo. Petticord would later call Trenton “a bum little town.”
Petticord and Lenz take in the view from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Note the cable Lenz is using to snap the photograph.
The pair reached New Orleans in September 1891. Lenz took this view of Canal Street.
Thomas Allen and William Sachtleben pose in a London studio in September 1890, shortly after announcing their plans to circle the globe. Their light bicycles had cushion tires.
Early ad for a Kodak camera.
U.S. patent taken out by Allen, Sachtleben, and Walters, the maker ...
Table of contents
- Title Page
- Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Alton, Illinois
- On the Road
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Athens, Greece
- Pittsburgh
- Peking, China
- Shanghai, China
- Photos 1
- Vancouver, Canada
- Kiukiang, China
- Ardmore, Pennsylvania
- Calcutta, India
- The Search
- East Liverpool, Ohio
- Constantinople, Turkey
- Erzurum, Turkey
- Photos 2
- Erzurum
- Erzurum
- Epilogue
- Repercussions
- Reflections
- Notes on Sources
- Acknowledgments
- Photo Credits
- Index
- About the Author
- Connect with HMH