Robert Perkowitz
Lisbon to Moscow is a photo journal experience of Bob Perkowitz’s bicycle tour across Europe in the Spring of 2003. The journey begins on the shores of Portugal and ends in the heart of the Moscow, offering a glimpse into nine European countries along the way.
The book’s cast of characters includes various friends and family members that accompanied Bob for parts of his trip, including his wife Lisa Renstrom, colleague Bryan Lawson and his close friend Charlie Walker, the only other person who rode the entire 3,600 mile distance.
Their book is filled with the scenery, history and riding anecdotes of a dynamic group. While on the road, team members are faced with demanding conditions, and the difficulties of collective decision-making and managing group logistics. Off the road, however, the major concern was where to best dine and drink wine, while soaking in Europe’s rich cultural atmosphere.
Perhaps the most interesting characters of the book, however, are the many foreign, yet friendly faces that greeted the riders along their way. These include Polish farmers, French winemakers, and Belarusian prostitutes.
In the genre of travel narratives, Lisbon to Moscow appeals both to readers with interest in bike touring as well as those with non-traditional tourist interests through the cities and countryside of Europe. It conveys the
sense of adventure and the satisfaction of “seeing the world” through ones own power (bicycle).
Actual and wanna-be distance bicycle tourers will also find much useful technical and logistical information.
Finally, the book has a certain cultural appeal. What would Europe be without the millions that came before? This is a journey through time – from the Roman and Neapolianic eras through the World Wars to the present day. Europe’s collective legacy is an immensely rich cultural heritage. Lisbon to Moscow touches upon these stories, and how they shaped the people met and places Bob Perkowitz and his fellow bike tourists visited that spring.
Bob Perkowitz is an entrepreneur, environmentalist, writer, investor and distance cyclist.
Over the past 25 years Bob has been President of direct marketing and manufacturing organizations with revenues ranging to $600 million, including Cornerstone Brands, Smith+Noble and Joanna Western Mills. He currently is Managing Partner of VivaTerra LLC, President of Paradigm Management, Inc., and a Director of SRAM, Inc.
Mr. Perkowitz has been a Trustee of the Sierra Club Foundation since 2001 where he has served as Secretary, Treasurer and chairman of the Investment and Finance Committees. He has been a lifetime member of the Sierra Club since 1995 and a member of the National Advisory Council from 1998 to 2001.
Bob joined the Board of Trustees of Environmental Defense of North Carolina in 2002 where he has served on the Program Committee and as a member of the North Carolina Climate Stewardship Task Force.
Mr. Perkowitz also sits on the Executive Committee of the Queens University Learning Society and writes a monthly column for the Charlotte Observer.
Bob received a B.S. in Social Thought from Lake Forest College and an M.B.A. from Lake Forest Graduate School of management. He resides in Charlotte, NC with his wife Lisa Renstrom. Bob has ridden his bike across North and South America, Australia and Europe and is currently trying to figure out how to ride across Africa and Asia.
Bob is also a monthly columnist for the Charlotte Observer where he focused largely on American politics and environmental issues.
This is his first book.
