Around The World On Two Wheels

Peter Zheutlin's thoroughly researched account will make you wish you'd been around to catch a glimpse of the extraordinary woman as she went wheeling by.-Bill Littlefield National Public Radio's Only A GameUntil 1894 there were no female sport stars no product endorsement deals and 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 42-pound bicycle a revolver a change of underwear and a dream of freedom. She was also a feisty 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 high adventure and maverick marketing Around the World on Two Wheels is an unforgettable portrait of courage imagination and tenacity.Annie was a remarkable woman and well worth getting to know.-BooklistA 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