Time Essay: The Full Circle: In Praise of the Bicycle

Everyone knows that Leonardo da Vinci invented the armored car and the alarm clock. Now historians have unearthed his most remarkable achievement. There in the musty libraries of Madrid lay the neglected sketch of a bicycle. How logical that the Renaissance man should have invented the Renaissance machine.

Even the most dedicated jogger must admit that his sport is purely hygienic. The bouncing exercise never allows the eyes to rest; the country seems to jiggle by on springs. The motorist glides on air and shock absorbers, but his speed undoes him. The scenery is a blur, the highlights only a few seconds...

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