Welcome to Bicycling Through History

For Immediate Release

Washington, DC. . October 20, 2002

Bicycling Through History disk #2 is officially released.

The new DVD publishing organization known as Bicycling Through History has released its second disk today. This marks the second DVD release in as many months. When asked if they will continue to publish DVDs on a monthly schedule, producer Robert Weber says, "No way." "We were lucky just to get the first one made at all," he replied, "This second one merely shows that we are serious about producing more. We could probably release a third one in December if people either purchase a whole bunch of our DVDs right away or if some investor just throws a whole lot of money at us. This publishing business is not easy, you know."

As the fledgling operation heads into the Christmas buying season, the commentary turned to sales predictions. "We really got started too late in the year to have our disks on the shelves in stores for this season, so we just have to ride it out and see what happens," says Weber. He admitted that their sales and marketing plans had been turned around when the original release of the first disk was delayed. "Our entire plan was predicated on having the first one ready in May or June of 2002. We missed the schedule, but we could not turn back. This just puts us in better shape for next year," says Weber. He calmly states that disk 3 is almost ready and will be better than either disk 1 or 2. "We plan to show improvement in each disk. We simply had to start somewhere. If we waited to release a whole series together, it might never get done."

The cover photo on disk #2 has drawn questions. Some say it appears that Vickie is either smiling or wincing. "Oh that," replies the producer, Weber, "yeah, there is quite a story about how that occurred." It seems that on the day before the cover shot was taken, Vickie was riding on some busy urban streets. She stopped for a moment to wait for some traffic and as her foot went from the pedal to the ground, it twisted through a hole in a drainage grate as she fell. She nearly broke her leg. Feeling a little better the next day, she volunteered for the photo shoot, but the emotion could not be completely hidden. "It is sort of like the Mona Lisa," says Weber, "you can't exactly tell if she is smiling or not. We knew she was in pain, but we had to get the shot." Apparently the bruises on her leg are not evident in the picture.

A short description of the second disk in the series follows:

The first ride on disk #2 goes through Charleston, South Carolina. Many buildings remain that were originally erected in the 1700s. The architecture demostrates the influence of settlers from Caribbean islands. Charleston was a vital port city during colonial days and its prominence grew through the Revolutionary War and continued until after the Civil War.
Barbados was visited by George Washington in 1751. The DVD shows a contrast between things that have changed and those that have not. The bike route follows the roads which date back to the 1600s. The crystal blue waters are probably the same now as they were in Washington's time. The trails are paved now, but they still follow the paths of early explorers.
The next visit is St. Augustine, Florida with a review of how early Spanish explorers discovered islands and and coastal areas of what is now the United States. Ponce De Leon made his mark along the sandy beach of a river. The old city and Castillo de San Marcos are the subjects of our rides.
The Outer Banks of North Carolina are the next destination and just behind them we find Roanoke Island. This was the site of the Lost Colony of British settlers who preceded the establishment of Jamestown by 20 years. A replica of the ship used and clothing worn in the 1500s are presented.
Savannah is the final stop for disk #2. The city once again typifies the layers of history by showing early colonial through Civil War, through modern era structures all working together with a distinctly southern charm. The ride zig-zags through side streets and along the river.

Other Press Releases: September 2002 | December 2002 | January 2003 | February 2003 | April 2003

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