A whimsical tale and a slice of bicycling history told with great charm and feeling. A time and place creatively brought to life and a moment in time which should be remembered is now cemented on my memory. A really enjoyable read, from the period descriptions to the competitive spirit of the age. The story may at first glance appear to be off-the-beaten track but it should definitely be on your travel and history bookshelves. Read, inwardly digest and escape. I usually give 5* to books that contain, to my opinion, no flaws; this book is different though, the positive aspects overpower the flaws so much that I feel that 5* is the only thing that the book deserves. Somehow, from the start I connected with the story of Frank Lenz. Maybe it was the writing, maybe it was the fact that Lenz was clearly a cycling enthusiast and a bit reckless and who didn't want a 9-5 job and I could recognise myself in him. I was fully sucked into the story once the actual tale of Lenz' travels started, I will admit that at first I didn't understand the long chapters on Sachtleben and Allen's own voyage and I'm still not quite sure they should have been discussed in such a lengthy manner. Overall, this book contains both tales of adventures and covers quite a bit of history, I learnt more about the Ottoman Empire in the last three days than in all my school years!
What do You think about The Lost Cyclist (2010)?
A true epic adventure, reads as well as and as quickly as a good thriller should. Highly recommend
—jennyvassx
great story, but the epilogue seemed to refute everything in the main part of the book.
—hannah
Amazing.....these guys going around the world on a bicycle...in the 1890s!!!
—Sayray
Detailed day to day descriptions got a bit boring.
—olgaparr
