172 pgs. B & W | $22.99 hardcover | W & A: Eleanor Davis
Once upon a time, Eleanor Davis rode her bicycle, solo, from her parents’ home in Tucson, AZ to her current home in Athens, GA, a distance of over 1,800 miles. Why did she undertake this monumental journey? Like the wise Mrs. Olinski in The View from Saturday, she had several good answers, one of which she mostly kept to herself. Her public answers included wanting to do a long bike trip before having her first child and wanting to avoid boxing and shipping her bike, while her private answer was “I was having trouble with wanting to not be alive. But I feel good when I’m bicycling.”
These answers are revealed in the opening pages of You and a Bike and a Road, which clues you in to the fact that this story is going to be about more than gear ratios and humblebrags. While much of this graphic novel involves personal ruminations, Davis is also acutely aware of her surroundings, from the unavoidable presence of the border patrol (at one point a helicopter nearly swoops in on her, and she suspects they wanted to get close enough to see the color of her skin) to the weather and the physical landscape she is passing through. Every day is dated, with the distance and route covered that day, but there’s no year named, creating references that are both very specific and somewhat timeless.
As you might imagine, lots of things happen along the way. Leather-clad biker dudes make fun of her, her knees become swollen and painful, and she hits the pavement when her chain locks up. If anyone asks, she says she’s with her husband, because a woman alone faces potentially mortal danger simply because she is a woman alone. But she also enjoys the spare beauty of west Texas, the variety of small towns and ghost towns on her route, and strange sights like a military base that includes a recreation of an Afghan town.
Just when she’s ready to give up, a bike shop owner lets her talk it out, arranges for medical treatment (those knees again!), and set up a home stay with friends for a few days. Encouraged by these kindnesses, she’s soon back on the road, newly cognizant that sometimes you need to share your troubles and ask for help. Many other people, both friends and strangers, share food and kindness, and these moments far outweigh the bad experiences that are going to come up on any long trip.
Davis illustrates her journey with loose pencil sketches that sprawl across the pages, one experience flowing into the next like the miles she is covering. Her portrayals of people, particularly of herself, are on the cartoony side and make no attempt to make anyone look conventionally attractive. Her landscapes are also broad but full of well-selected details, from closeups of specific types of flowers to panoramic views of the countryside, and the blend of seemingly-casual sketches with occasional specifics matches the author’s shifting state of mind on this trip.
I’m a sucker for a road trip narrative, and You and a Bike and a Road offers a refreshing take not only on long-distance cycling, but also about the psychological benefits of doing hard things and getting out of your rut. Following the main narrative there’s a sort of illustrated credits sequence thanking people who helped her, a philosophical coda, and some resources related to refugee and immigration rights and planning your own extended bike trip. | Sarah Boslaugh
You can see a preview of You and a Bike and a Road here (although the cover is different in the Fantagraphics edition, which you can see here).
