In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. He finally got his chance by recasting himself as a champion of the downsized ?safety-bicycle? with inflatable tires, the forerunner of the modern road bike that was about to become wildly popular. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg.

He never made it. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Turkey sparked an international outcry and compelled Outing to send William Sachtleben, another larger-than-life cyclist, on Lenz?s trail. Bringing to light a wealth of information, Herlihy?s gripping narrative captures the soaring joys and constant dangers accompanying the bicycle adventurer in the days before paved roads and automobiles. This untold story culminates with Sachtleben?s heroic effort to bring Lenz?s accused murderers to justice, even as troubled Turkey teetered on the edge of collapse.

Product Description**break** In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. He finally got his chance by recasting himself as a champion of the downsized "safety-bicycle" with inflatable tires, the forerunner of the modern road bike that was about to become wildly popular. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg.

He never made it. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Turkey sparked an international outcry and compelled Outing to send William Sachtleben, another larger-than-life cyclist, on Lenz's trail. Bringing to light a wealth of information, Herlihy's gripping narrative captures the soaring joys and constant dangers accompanying the bicycle adventurer in the days before paved roads and automobiles. This untold story culminates with Sachtleben's heroic effort to bring Lenz's accused murderers to justice, even as troubled Turkey teetered on the edge of collapse.**break** **break**

A Look Inside The Lost Cyclist
(Click on Images to Enlarge)

Lenz (far right) in Glenshaw, with W. T. McClarren and Charles Petticord	Lenz (far left) and Petticord (center) on Smithfield bridge, leaving for New Orleans. August 1891	From left to right: Petticord, McClarren, Lenz, and identified friend near Natrona. Note Lenz's homemade umbrella.	Lenz in Washington, PA
Lenz and Petticord meet two "safety" riders on the National Road in Lewisville, IN, August 1890	Lenz tips his cap in Greenfield, IN. August 1890	Lenz and Petticord in Effingham, IL, on their way to St. Louis, August 1890 along the National Road	Petticord and Lenz in Collinsville, IL, August 1890.