It was so lightweight, as touring bikes go, that a group of boys in Newfoundland mocked that it would soon break on their roads.

ECONOMIST: Ian Hibell

In addition, touring itself mimics the activities of TV detectives, who are always on the go and negotiating their way through crowds and traffic.

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If Berliners do escape they either go farther, to the Alps and the Med, or they go north to the Mecklenburger Seeenplatte, which boasts over 1, 000 lakes for sailing, canoeing, cycling or touring by paddle-steamer.

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