A woman who gave up a successful banking career to take an around-the-world bicycle trip will talk about her experience at noon Friday, May 1, at the University of California, Davis. Sally Vantress, whose book about her trip is titled "Seeing Myself, Seeing the World: A Woman's Journey Around the World on a Bicycle," will speak in MU II of the Memorial Union. Her presentation, which will include slides, is free and open to the public. Vantress was 29 when she sold almost everything she owned, including a home, a car, an airplane, furniture and clothes, purchased an 18-speed mountain bike and set out on her journey. She had been a vice president of Crocker Bank in Sacramento for five years when she went on a vacation in Washington's San Juan Islands in 1987. There, she met and traveled with a man who had just bicycled across the United States, and got the idea for her world bicycle trip. Starting in New Zealand in January 1988, Vantress traveled 70,000 miles, 21,000 of it by bicycle. She slept in hostels and people's homes, but mostly in her own tent. Along the way, she endured downpours, steep mountain passes, leeches, snakes and damage to her bicycle. She was raped in Georgia, on the last leg of her 19-month journey. Vantress speaks to groups about her book and gives presentations about her experiences. The talk is sponsored by the UC Davis Women's Resources and Research Center. Those who need accommodations for people with disabilities should call (916) 752-3372.