How Numb Was My Bum....

"He is of medium height (5'5") and well built (about 140 pounds), he has a very pleasing manner. He is naturally the fairest of blondes, but so thoroughly have the sun and the wind done their work that, were it not for his light moustache, his face would be taken for anything rather than a white man's. He is an Englishman by birth, and is about 29 years of age. His attire consisted of a blue flannel shirt, brown knickerbockers, blue stockings, canvas shoes, and a once white military helmet hat. A notebook was strapped to the head of his machine. His clothing showed unmistakable signs of hard usage. His knickerbockers have been replaced many times."

Thomas Stevens, was the first to ride a bike across America, and went on to travel the world. It was a "High Wheeler" he taught himself to ride in parks around San Francisco.

"Stevens used his recollections of the trip and the information recorded in his notebook to write a wonderful 38,000 word description of his trip that appeared in the April, May, June, and July 1885 issues of Outing magazine. His larger two-volume work, Around the World on a Bicycle, that includes most of the material in these articles, was published after the completion of his world tour in January 1887. "
( can be read on line or downloaded )

His trip has inspired others to have a go.