ABSTRACT
For 150 years men, women and children have cycled, in quest of adventures. Hundreds of others who wrote of their travels and countless more cyclists unknown seek adventures by the roadside, perhaps on a short commute home, or thousands of miles away riding around the world. Technological advances – smartphones with cameras, energy snacks and drinks, high-tech sleeping bags and tents, bright lights fore and aft, and modern, synthetic fabrics for reflective, breathable clothing – make today’s cycling journey safer and more comfortable, but they have not changed its fundamental allure. Riders remain close to the environment and the elements, focused on their surroundings as they move sedately in the slow lane. As David Lamb entered middle age his contemplations on the stress of aging in modern America took him on a transcontinental journey where he tested himself through risk-taking.
