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Few unknown figures have left such a lasting mark on the world as Robert "Bicycle Bob" Silverman.
A true nonconformist, this tireless advocate for urban cycling lived an extraordinary life. Poet, bookseller, restaurateur, traveler, educator, gallery owner—but above all, a passionate cycling activist—Bob led his vélorution (a term he was the first to popularize in Canada) with authenticity, ingenuity, and boundless creativity.
With his small but dedicated group, Le Monde à Bicyclette (MàB), and a handful of allies, Bob Silverman achieved the impossible. Over three decades, Montreal transformed from one of the least bike-friendly cities in North America into its cycling capital—thanks in part to MàB’s colorful cyclodramas, street theatre protests where members donned costumes to make their point.
Silverman’s story reads like a film script. A poet and independent bookseller in the 1960s, he drew in a vibrant circle of artists, intellectuals, and musicians, including Leonard Cohen and Armand Vaillancourt. In 1962, he traveled to Cuba to join Fidel Castro’s revolution, meeting none other than Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Later, he worked on an Israeli kibbutz, becoming one of the rare Jewish activists to shake hands with Yasser Arafat. He studied in France and Spain, pioneered outdoor volleyball, and never shied away from challenging the status quo.
A larger-than-life figure, Robert Silverman was, as many describe him, “a prophet before his time.” Discover how this real-life Man of La Mancha managed to reach a few unreachable stars…
Journalist and author Stéphane Desjardins has managed several newspapers and newsrooms (Journal de l’assurance, Finance et Investissement, Québec Inc., Canal Argent/TVA Nouvelles, Coopoint, Géo Plein Air, Le Vélo Urbain, Journal AccèsLaurentides). In 2013, he founded the hyperlocal news network pamplemousse.ca, which he ran until 2018. He currently works as a personal finance and consumer affairs columnist for the Journal de Montréal and the Journal de Québec.
John Symon is the author of several guidebooks covering Montreal and Ottawa. He was a long-time reporter for the Montreal Times, as well as Montreal correspondent for Pedal magazine for many years. An avid cyclist, John met Bicycle Bob Silverman through volleyball, which led to a 30-year friendship. A two-time Green Party candidate and long-time environmental activist, John is well aware of the many challenges Bob has faced as an activist. Bob wanted John to write an unfiltered bio, but only read short excerpts before flying him off to Bicycle Heaven.
List of Figures
List of Acronyms
List of People Featured in this Book
Acknowledgements
Foreword A Prophet before His Time
Chapter 1 Killed by a Car, Reborn on a Bicycle
Chapter 2 The Seven Steps Bookstore
Chapter 3 Arriving in Castro’s Cuba
Chapter 4 Back in Montreal, Protesting against the Vietnam War
Chapter 5 Meeting His Second Wife at an Israeli Kibbutz
Chapter 6 The Save Montreal Movement
Chapter 7 Le Monde à Bicyclette
Chapter 8 The First Demonstration
Chapter 9 Storming the Metro
Chapter 10 The Battle for Bike Lanes
Chapter 11 Convincing Drapeau to Do the Right Thing
Chapter 12 A Brief History of Montreal Bike Paths
Chapter 13 One Million Cyclists Trapped on Montreal Island
Chapter 14 A Bike-Friendly Mayor Is Elected
Chapter 15 Protesting the Auto Show
Chapter 16 The Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition and International Connections
Chapter 17 MàB and Vélo Québec: Allies or Rivals?
Chapter 18 Participatory Volleyball, Good Volleyball Is like Good Sex
Chapter 19 The Handbook of How to Run a Vélorution
Chapter 20 Vietnam and Cuba
Chapter 21 Silverman and Politics
Chapter 22 Milton Park Days
Chapter 23 A Jew in Support of Palestinians
Chapter 24 Moving to Val-David
Chapter 25 Nearing the Finish Line
Chapter 26 Epilogue and Homages
Annex
Notes
Bibliography