Friday Photo - 1915 Australian Bicycle Ride from Adelaide to Darwin

Think U.S. motorists are hostile to cyclists? (Photo courtesy of DailyMail.com)

Don't worry - The scene above was staged and the cyclist was in no danger. The photo is one of many taken by Edward Reichenback (also known as "Ryko") on his nearly 2,000 mile ride through the Australian Outback in 1914. He had a companion riding with him for the first half of the ride, but his friend had to retire after spraining his ankle. Ryko took a lot of photos during his trip, and after arriving in Darwin, sold copies of them. One of his photos shows him wading through a swamp while carrying his bike. Another shows his bike parked next to a giant termite mound. The government of Australia's Northern Territory suspected him of being a German spy during World War I, because of his suspicious travels and the fact he had a German name. Ryko was actually born in Australia and he was eventually cleared.