Bamboo bicycles in Africa and an American cycling pioneer are the subjects of two upcoming talks at the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.

Biographer Andrew Homan, author of “Life in the Slipstream: The Legend of Bobby Walthour Sr.,” will give a lecture and sign books from 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at the Hall of Fame, 303 Third St. in downtown Davis. Admission is $5 general, $3 for students and seniors and free to Hall of Fame members.

A century before Lance Armstrong captured cycling headlines, American Bobby Walthour dominated the world of competitive cycling. In the early 1900s, he was one of the world’s most famous and highly paid athletes.

“Life in the Slipstream” chronicles Walthour’s rise from a lowly bicycle messenger in Georgia to a two-time national and international cycling champion. His career parallels the surging popularity of the bicycle in America, and this biography depicts his life against the backdrop of the bicycle craze that swept America in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Readers learn about the rough-and-tumble world of professional cycling at the turn of the 20th century, where deadly accidents and illicit drugs were commonplace. Walthour’s fortunes on the racing circuit ultimately took a dramatic turn for the worse when his personal life began to unravel because of drug abuse and an unhappy marriage that culminated in his attempted murder — by his own wife.

Homan is an avid bicycle racing fan and writer who has been published in Cycle Sport, Road Bike Action and Velo News. He lives in South Lake Tahoe.

He will present a slide show on Walthour’s life and will have copies of “Life in the Slipstream” available for purchase.

Craig Calfee of Bamboosero and Calfee Design will be at the Hall of Fame from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 7.

Remember the old adage: Give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime? Calfee and Bamboosero have taken the next step: Teach a man to make bicycles and he can sell them.

In the process, local bamboo is used, local labor is employed and the finished products — bicycles — are used as transportation in areas were the only alternative is walking, Calfee says.

He will share slides of his recent trip to Uganda, where he established a Bamboosero factory. In addition, he’ll talk about carbon fiber bikes, Greg LeMond stories, art bikes and more.

Visitors who arrive early can get a close look at a Bamboosero cargo bike on display at the Hall of Fame.

Admission is $5 general, $3 for students and seniors, and free for Hall of Fame members. For more information, contact [email protected], call (530) 341-FAME (3263) or visit http://www.usbhof.org.

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Craig Calfee shows off the bamboo bicycle frames he teaches Africans to make. Calfee will talk about his work when he visits the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame, 303 Third St., at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 7. Jason Finch/Courtesy photo

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