Around the World on Two Wheels

The ';remarkable saga' of the bold nineteenth-century woman who made a splash by cycling around the world (The Winston-Salem Journal). Until 1894, there were no female sport stars, no product endorsement deals, and certainly no young mothers with the chutzpah to circle the globe on a bicycle. Annie Londonderry changed all of that. When Annie left Boston in June of that year, she was a brash young lady with a forty-two-pound bicycle, a revolver, a change of underwear, and a dream of freedom. She was also a feisty immigrant mother of three who had become the center of what one newspaper called ';one of the most novel wagers ever made': a high-stakes bet between two wealthy merchants that a woman could not ride around the world on a bicycle. The epic journey that followed took the connection between athletics and commercialism to dizzying new heights, and turned Annie Londonderry into a symbol of women's equality. A vastly entertaining blend of social history and high adventure, Around the World on Two Wheels is an unforgettable portrait that ';illuminates family life, journalism, advertising, and recreation of that transitional era. As for Annie, she was a remarkable woman and well worth getting to know' (Booklist). ';A wonderful telling of one of the most intriguing, offbeat, and until now, lost chapters in the history of cycling.' David Herlihy, author of Bicycle: The History ';[An] affectionate portrait of a free spirit who pedaled her way out of Victorian constraints.' Kirkus Reviews ';[A] charming and informative book.' Cape Cod Times