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by: FabianToulouse
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"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it-if you live." Mark Twain

Bicycling has had many star athletes in its long history, but few have been as dedicated as Thomas Stevens. In 1884 he acquired a Pope "Columbia Standard" and got the fascinating idea to circle the globe on it. Looking at this "penny-farthing" type vehicle in which the front wheel had a diameter of roughly five feet and the rear wheel one, an adventure spanning the globe is not the first thing modern cyclists might envision, but nevertheless, off went Stevens.

He set out in Oakland, California in the spring of 1884 carrying his required possessions-socks, a clean shirt, a tent/rain slicker, along with a Smith and Wesson-in a handlebar bag. In 103 days (only eighty-three and a half were spent cycling) he had reached Boston, having traveled 3,700 miles over rough territory. The next spring, he set out again after reaching England on a steamer. He biked across Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, continuing east. By the end , he had finished up in Iran and was ready to rest for the winter.

The spring of 1886 began with challenges. He was barred entry into Siberia and booted from Afghanistan, but after that things smoothed out for Stevens. Between steamers and his bicycle, he biked across India, China, and Japan, completing his long journey at Yokohama on December 17, 1886. He estimated that he had biked 13,5000. His marvelous travels are documented in his 1,000 page two-volume book called Around the World on a Bicycle.

Not a lot of people would be willing to attempt such a journey in this day and age, but if they did, their bag would probably be a lot lighter! What are crucial pieces of clothing to today's cyclists were not even dreamed of by the people of his age, but how much more fun they make riding. Modern cycling attire, such as bicycle shorts and shirts, are lightweight. Just think how much more comfortable Mr. Stevens would have been on his long journey if he had had the advantages of lycra!

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