Rota Vitae: The Cyclists' Guide to Health and Rational Enjoyment
Contents
- The author meets his overworked city friend Russell on a cycling tour and argues against reckless record-riding.
- The pair breakfast and ride to a ruined priory, prompting practical advice on food and pacing for healthy touring.
- The author recounts an extended caravan tour, advocating slow, observant cycling over record-chasing.
- A scenic cycling tour through Wooler, Chillingham, Alnwick, Rothbury, and Holy Island in Northumberland.
- Cycling routes through the border country linking Berwick, Kelso, Melrose, Dryburgh, and St Abb's Head.
- Exploration of the Scottish town of Haddington and its surroundings including Pressmannan Loch and North Berwick.
- Recommended Scottish touring routes alongside English districts praised for their health-giving cycling scenery.
- A doctor's plain-spoken guide to nutrition, the dangers of alcohol, and the merits of tea for touring cyclists.
- Advice on balancing exercise with rest, the value of cold baths, winter cycling, and avoiding stimulants.
- A practical guide to medicines and remedies likely to be needed by the touring cyclist on the road.
- Recommendations for cycling as therapy for women, invalids, and those with specific ailments.
- A cautionary catalogue of reckless cycling habits—overexertion, riding when ill, ignoring diet—that harm health.
- Argues that hobbies and outdoor recreation, combined with cycling, promote longevity and mental well-being.
- Recommends fishing as the ideal companion pursuit for cyclists on holiday, with final health advice.