Thomas Stevens Rightfully

Fearless Travelers homas Stevens rightfully He illustrated their books and she world cyclists went on “dead broke” deserves his fame for being authored them, and their last journey tours. Both H. Nakamura and Henry Tthe first to cycle around the — Over the Alps on a bicycle — was Spickler left their homes (Tokyo and world, but his feat has overshadowed their most difficult. Imagine doing Alton, Illinois) in 1901 with little in other cyclists’ accomplishments. that with a single-geared bicycle! their pockets, but both were capable Stevens was featured in an Adventure It wasn’t difficult to find sponsors of taking on any job and fortunately Cyclist article in 2010 and others have during the bicycle boom of the 1890s. this was an era that allowed working appeared in the magazine (Frank Frank Lenz was sponsored by Outing passage on a ship. Lenz, Fred Birchmore, Thomas magazine, though his journey came After WWI, only one American, Allen and William Sachtleben), but Fred Birchmore, went around the most world cyclists have been long world by bicycle, and his studies in forgotten.* Europe obviously influenced him. Australians George Burston and Europeans and Indians traveled Harry Stokes (on the cover) left the globe between the two world Melbourne in 1888 on their high- wars and their routes became more wheel bicycles and recounted their ambitious as Africa and South journey in Round About the World on America were included. Framji Davar Bicycles. They cycled through parts of and companion Gustav Sztavjanik Indonesia, Burma, India, Egypt, Syria, became the first cycling nomads as Turkey, Europe, and Great Britain, they rode on five continents during covering almost 10,000 miles on the 1920s. Kaikee Kharas and his their wheels. Karl Kron, the cycling two companions left Bombay in 1933 historian, also rode 10,000 miles in and cycled until WWII brought their North America in the 1880s and was adventure to an end. the only American cyclist mentioned After the war, cyclists were once by name in Stevens’ two-volume again safe to explore. Louise account. Sutherland began cycling around New With the advent of the pneumatic- Zealand and was smitten with travel. tired safety bicycle in the 1890s, there Other women had cycled alone, but was a burst of exploration by cyclists. Thomas Stevens is generally recognized as the she became the first to explore the Not all world cyclists went around first person to successfully bicycle around the world by bicycle and with a trailer! the globe and Robert L. Jefferson and world. Abbott Dugally left Los Angeles in Luigi Masetti were revered in their 1951 and became the first cycle “bum” home countries (England and Italy) to a tragic end. Others were more as he and his bike “Suzie” entertained for riding novel and difficult routes. confident of a good outcome, likely their way around the world. Elisabeth and Joeseph Pennell, because they weren’t traveling alone. These are just a few who explored Americans living in London, rode Hattie and Darwin McIlrath received the world by bicycle in the late 19th numerous routes in England and the backing from the Chicago Inter Ocean and first half of the 20th centuries. Continent between 1885 and 1897. and John Foster Fraser and his They took unique routes and traveled two companions wrote articles for in their own style, but they had one _________________________________________ Travel magazine. Riding in opposite thing in common: they were fearless. *Stevens’ journey was recounted in the May directions, they met by co-incidence 2010 edition of Adventure Cyclist; also those –John Weiss of Frank Lenz (Jan. 2009), Fred Birchmore in Benares (now Varanasi), India. (May 2012), and Thomas Allen and William Forget finding a sponsor after the Sachtleben (June 2013, 2014, and this issue). bicycle boom went bust, so after 1900 Images of early round-the-world cyclists from the collection of Fearless Travelers bicycle historian John Weiss ith companions Edward disappointment to our friends. We were not Lunn and Frank Lowe, John haggard or worn, or tottering in our gait. WFoster Fraser left London We had never been scalped, or had hooks in 1896 to ride around the world, through our spines; never been tortured, or returning home more than two years had our eyes gouged; never been rescued later. Fraser’s articles appeared in Travel after living for a fortnight on our shoes. And magazine which allowed the trio to we had never killed a man. It was evident we ride without working along the way, or were not real travellers. selling postcards! Round the World on a Still, away somewhere at the back of our Wheel, written by Fraser, is altogether a heads, we are rather proud of what we have trustworthy account of their adventure done. We have accomplished the longest and one of the best cycling travelogs of bicycle ride ever attempted, just 19,237 that era. Fraser’s preface: miles over continuous new ground. We were stoned by the Mohammedans because This is a book of travel. But, unlike other they alleged we were Christians, and we books of travel, it is not clever or wise or were pelted with mud in China because the scientiﬁc. There is nothing about anthropol- Celestials were certain we were devils. We ogy or biology or archaeology. There are no slept in wet clothes, subsisted on eggs, went theories about the transmission of language hungry, and were enforced teetotalers. We or about Sanskrit grammar. had smallpox, fever, and other ailments. We took this trip round the world on bi- We never shaved for ﬁve months, and only cycles because we are more or less conceited, occasionally washed. We have accomplished like to be talked about, and see our names in Our adventures therefore were of a the newspapers. We didn’t go into training. humdrum sort. If only one of us had been the longest bicycle ride We took things easy. We jogged through killed, or if we had ridden back into London Europe, had sundry experiences in Asia, and each minus a limb, some excitement would ever attempted, just survived the criticisms of our country from have been caused. As it was, we came home the Americans. For two years, we bicycled quietly. 19,237 miles over con- in strange lands, and came home a great tinuous new ground. We were stoned by the Mohammedans because they alleged we were Christians, and we were pelted with mud in China because the Celestials were certain we were devils. here was no more famous Italian bicycle tourist in the 1890s than TLuigi Masetti. He accomplished multiple trips through Europe, Egypt, and the Middle East in the 1890s and traveled to Chicago by bicycle in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exposition. His most impressive feat was his nearly complete tour of Europe and parts of Russia in 1900. escribed by one writer as “An innocent abroad,” Kai Thoren- Dfeldt left Copenhagen with a friend in 1925 with little money in his pocket and hoping to sell postcards along the way. After traveling through Europe, his companion departed and he was on his own, but he found a publisher to sponsor the ride. And what a ride! He was the first European to cycle through South America and in two years and eight months rode over 16,000 miles on five continents. In one remote area of Thailand “some natives said that I must be a god if I could go around the world on such a funny looking thing as a bicycle.” His book was translated into English, Round the World on a Cycle. enry Spickler was an ordained minister and quite an athlete. HHe left home in Illinois in 1901 to travel around the world without a cent, which was possible for a man who claimed to have worked at every job imaginable, including acrobat, bell-hop, cattleman, ice- cream maker, magnetic healer, roustabout, singer, trick cyclist, and wood-chopper, to name a few! He visited 30 countries in three years, wearing out seven sets of tires. He cycled until nearly the end of his life in 1955 at the age of 87. 40 ADVENTURE CYCLIST JUNE 2015 ontrary to what’s been written elsewhere, CLouise Sutherland was the first woman to travel alone around the world. Not in one go, but in stages and with a trailer! She was a nurse and easily found work along the way. First cycling in her native New Zealand in the late 1940s, she then cycled in Australia and England and then across Europe. In 1953, she rode across Iraq and Iran and then to India. On yet another journey, she crossed Canada in 1955. She explored South America in the 1970s and her most ambitious ride followed the Trans-Ama- zonian highway across Brazil. She told the story of that trip in The Impossible Ride. Her first self-published book was I Follow the Wind and a wonderful recent biography is Louise Sutherland: Louise Sutherland was interviewed by Russell Spinning the Globe. Harty on Britain’s ITV in 1978. Watch online at youtu.be/vWOR_YmI1R8 ertil Hult left Stockholm with two companions Bin 1925 with the des- tination of India, but it was a rough beginning as they were held prisoner for three weeks in Morocco and had similar troubles in Turkey where they were arrested for being Russian spies. After that he was on his own. He claims he went to Mecca and was lucky to get out alive. In India, near the Afghanistan border, he was “captured by terrorists, losing all my possessions and also my courage — nearly!” While cycling across America in Minne- sota, he met the governor and was hailed as “The Lindbergh of the cycle.” ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 41 aikee Kharas, with companions Rustam Ghan- five continents and were the first to cycle the length of di and Ruttan Shroff, left Bombay in 1933.

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