While searching for photos and anecdotes of Elmore Leonard on a bicycle, I happened on the blog of Ross Bentley-Davies, a British novelist who writes crime thrillers and westerns. He’s also the type of avid cyclist who likes long rides in the countryside.
Really long, all-night rides of up to 600 km.
Writing a novel is probably something like a really long bike ride. Davies assures that 600 km are extremely painful, and I believe him. I’ve never gone more than 120 miles (200 km) in a go, and I’ve never written a novel. Maybe there’s a connection.
After I initially found Bentley-Davies blog, I closed the browser window and tried to search for it again when I ran across this delightful project. When she turned 40 years old last year, poet Maya Stein hopped on her bike for a 40 day, 1200 mile bike ride from Amherst, Massachusetts to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and pulling a typewriter behind her. Along the way, she stopped in communities, set up a mobile typing booth, and invited people to contribute their words to a growing poem. How cool is that?
As far as I can tell, there are no photos of Mr Elmore Leonard riding a bicycle. RIP.