May is National Bike Month, and whether you are looking for a book to inspire your own cycling adventures or prefer to experience only through pure imagination, the library has tales to start your wheels turning! Find your match in the list of fiction and nonfiction titles below or request a personalized suggestion from one of our expert readers' advisors.
Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle by Jody Rosen
Across the world, more people travel by bicycle than any other form of transportation. Almost anyone can learn to ride a bike—and nearly everyone does. Writer and critic Jody Rosen reshapes our understanding of this ubiquitous machine, an ever-present force in humanity’s life and dream life—and a flash point in culture wars—for more than two hundred years. History, Travel Writing
The Black Jersey: A Novel by Jorge Zepeda Patterson
When racers in training for the upcoming Tour de France begin suffering violent accidents, the best friend of a favored contender helps the French police, only to discover that the killer appears to be favoring his friend's team. Mystery, Translation
On Freedom Road: Bicycle Explorations and Reckonings on the Underground Railroad by David M.Goodrich
A thoughtful and illuminating bicycle journey along the Underground Railroad by a climate scientist seeking to engage with American history. Over the course of four years, David Goodrich rode his bicycle 3,000 miles east of the Mississippi to travel the routes of the Underground Railroad and delve into the history and stories in the places where they happened. History, Travel Writing
Spin: A Novel Based on a (Mostly) True Story by Peter Zheutlin
Ride away on a 'round-the-world adventure of a lifetime--with only a change of clothes and a pearl-handled revolver--in this transcendent novel inspired by the life of Annie Londonderry. Historical Fiction, Adventure Stories
One-Way Ticket: Nine Lives on Two Wheels by Jonathan Vaughters
A memoir from the American cyclist discusses his legendary career, his subsequent anti-doping campaign that led him to become a witness against Lance Armstrong and his founding of the pro first cycling team dedicated to clean riding. Life Stories, Sports and Competition
The Breakaway: A Novel by Jennifer Weiner
While leading a group bike trip from NYC to Niagara Falls, 34-year-old Abby Stern, newly engaged, encounters Sebastian, the one-night stand she never thought she'd see again, and, determined to keep him at arm's length over the next two weeks, finds her certainties about herself and the nature of love challenged. Relationship Fiction, Humorous Fiction
Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne
The musician and visual artist describes his preference for traveling by folding bicycle throughout New York City, a choice that has enabled his discovery of the mode's ensuing sense of freedom as well as his observations on the city's inner workings and rhythms. Essays, Memoir
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashar by Suzanne Joinson
In 1923, devout Eva English and her not-so-religious sister Lizzie embark on a journey to be missionaries in the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. Historical Fiction, Adventure Stories
The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance by David V. Herlihy
A cycling historian traces the epic journey of 1880s high-wheel racer Frank Lenz to cycle around the world as a correspondent for Outing magazine, an effort during which his murder sparked an international outcry and an ensuing investigation by fellow cyclist William Sachtleben. History, True Crime
The Invisible Mile by David Coventry
Based on a true story, a story about determination, teamwork, family, national healing and confronting one's demons follows the Ravat-Wonder cycling team as they, in 1928, became the first ever English-speaking peloton to compete in the Tour de France and, together, faced one of the toughest routes in the race's history. Historical Fiction
