In 1908, the Touring club de France announced a contest for walking around the world, with an offered prize of 100,000 francs. Dumitru Dan and his countrymen Paul Pârvu, George Negreanu and Alexandru Pascu were all students in Paris at the time, and they decided to take up the challenge, using their own money and resources.

S. G. Spier, who claims the championship for long-distance riding, arrived in this city on last Thursday evening at 9 o’clock. His principal reason for traversing the continent on a bicycle was to beat the world’s record, made by Thomas Stevens in 1884. Mr. Spier is 22 years old, stands five feet eight inches, and weighs 150 pounds. He came overland on a 52-inch wheel.

Da quando ha preso a girare il mondo in bicicletta? Dal '51, risponde lui, quando mi licenziarono dallo stabilimento in cui ero occupato.

Grandin n'est pas un marcheur vulgaire, chacun sait ça. Dire de lui qu'il est un marcheur scientifique ne serait point exagérer. Grandin, en effet, est un émule actif - oh! très actif! - d'Élisée Reclus. Outre ses aptitudes peu communes à la marche, Grandin professe, en effet, un goût très vif pour le dessin géographique, et il excelle à dresser lui-même les cartes de ses très intéressants voyages.