'As if Bill Bryson had taken to two wheels' - FT

Somewhere in a German forest 200 years ago, during the darkest, wettest summer for centuries, the story of cycling began. The calls to ban it were more or less immediate.

Re:Cyclists is the tale of the following two centuries. It tells how cycling became a quirky vaudeville act for Parisians, how it was the foundation of an American business empire rivaling Henry Ford's, and how it found a unique home in the British Isles.

The Victorian love of cycling started with penny-farthing riders, who explored lonely roads abandoned by the coming of the railways. Then high society embraced it—in the 1980s, the glittering parties of the London Season featured bicycles dancing in the ballroom, and every member of the House of Lords rode a bike.

Twentieth-century cycling was very different and even more popular. It became the sport and pastime of millions of ordinary people who wanted to escape the city smog or experience the excitement of a weekend's racing. Cycling offered adventure and independence in good times, and comfort during the war years and the Great Depression.

Re:Cyclists narrates the stories of cycling's triumphs and struggles, how it nearly disappeared during the motor boom of the 1960s, and how it made a comeback at the dawn of the 21st century—slightly different, much more fashionable, but still centered on the simple pleasures it has always offered: the wind in your face and the thrill of two-wheeled freedom.

Pages: 352, Year of Publication: 0501, Dimensions: 13x13cm