While researching Soviet WWII history, I came across reference to bicycle brigades used by the Germans as part of the siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Evidently, the bicycle infantryman was seen as a replacement for the cavalry messenger and able to transport supplies in places where truck and tank travel was impossible. There’s a whole lengthy history here (including pics of folding bicycles in action). So, maybe another antecedent for my current trip.