Cycling in the Alps

This is cycling as it once was: a glorious, grueling adventure through the heart of the European Alps before the automobile changed everything. Written in an era when roads were rough stone and packed earth, when riders balanced ambition against brake failure and weather, Freeston offers hard-won wisdom to the intrepid cyclist. He details route choices through famous passes, explains the art of coasting downhill without losing control, and warns against the particular dangers of cycling alone through remote mountain villages. But this is more than practical advice. It is a window into a vanished world where the only motor traffic was the occasional diligence, where accommodation meant small inns with no concept of 'tourism,' and where the view from a mountain pass belonged entirely to you. The effort of pushing your bicycle up a thousand-meter ascent, Freeston insists, is precisely what makes the panorama at the top so sweet. For cycling enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone who longs for travel before it became comfortable.