"The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll" by H. G. Wells is a comic novel written during the height of the 1890s cycling craze. Mr. Hoopdriver, a poorly paid draper's assistant, escapes his grinding routine for a ten-day bicycling holiday along England's southern coast. His awkward adventure takes an unexpected turn when he encounters a mysterious young woman in bloomers cycling alone, leading to a journey involving deception, danger, and dreams of a better life. (This is an automatically generated summary.)