Pedals, Politics and People

Sydney: Haldane Publishing, 1977. 511 pages. Many b/w photos. Not signed by the author (this title is almost always signed and inscribed by Opperman!). Very slight pale foxing on endpapers and on dustwrapper. Scarce. * "Oppy" was Australia's most famous professional cyclist in the 1920s and 1930s when cycling was a major sport. Among his achievements were his records in marathons such as Freemantle-Sydney, Kalgoorlie-Perth, Adelaide-Sydney, Sydney-Brisbane and, in Europe, his wins in the Paris-Brest-Paris road race, the classic 24-hour Bol dÓr and setting a new Land's End-John O'Groats record. He broke and/or established 101 State, Australian and world records in an incredible 24 hours of non-stop cycling at the old Sydney Velodrome. Oppy went on to become a long-time Cabinet Minister in the Australian Parliament and its overseas' representative in Malta. This book is his account of his amazing cycling and political careers. In 1996, at the age of 91, he died of a heart attack on his exercise bike at his Melbourne home.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good.