Hello

My mum was staying with us this summer and got really interested following the Tour Divide on my computer. She’s since developed quite an interest in such things and has started reading cycle travel books. So far she’s read, Two wheels on my wagon, Riding home from Siberia, Take a seat and has just ordered a copy of Ghost Trails.

Can anyone recommend any other books along the same lines that she might enjoy? I’m sure if she was in better health and didn’t walk with sticks she’d be getting a bike and going! … I think the tales of cycling adventure help keep her imagination fired.

Thanks
Stuart

If your mum gets really interested in cycling, depending on what her health problems are, there are adapted bikes she might be able to use. Also there are schemes about I think where able bodied people and people with difficulties share a bike. I don’t know the names of the charities or company’s that do these, but I expect an internet search or asking a charity would get you some info.

This guys done a couple of nice modern cycling books
http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/

If she likes computing she can download Thomas Stevens “Around the world on a bicycle” for free at
http://www.archive.org/details/aroundworldonbic01steviala
http://www.archive.org/details/aroundworldonbic02stevrich

He cycles around the world on a penny farthing in 1870 or so. You might need to be a keen sort of reader to get through it, but I found it very interesting – lots of stuff on how local people lived at the time. You can also get it as a paperback from Amazon.

http://www.archive.org do quite a lot of interesting downloads related to cycles, so worth searching on there. Also for other topics you mum may be interested in, esp if she likes the past/history/how people used to live.

For cycle-touring, I rather like Josie Dew’s books. She’s written quite a few now, the first one is “The Wind in My Wheels”

Also, I’m currently reading Mark Beaumont’s book, seems interesting so far.

i liked this one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=revolutions&x=20&y=22
and this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cold-Beer-Crocodiles-Bicycle-Australia/dp/0792263650/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288363375&sr=1-2

Thanks everyone. I’ll pass all that on, most useful.

Stuart

Anything by Anne Mustoe, if you can find it – she retired, then decided to cycle round the world. I know she did several trips, and more than one book…

I can also recommend the Josie Dew books also Discovery Road a good read.

mark beaumont book about his world record breaking ride around the world is worth a read…

Reading the Beaumont book myself at the moment, it’s suprising how riveting it is reading the following pattern…

Wake up feeling tired/achy/lethargic, eat incredible amount of food/go hungry camping somewhere, ride bike, suffer with saddle sores, struggle with wind/rain/mechanicals/finding food, sleep.

Never done a big tour but would like to one day, it’s got the simplicity of life that climbing trips used to have for me.

+1 for Al Humphries. The second book, thunder and sunshine was my favorite, though you need to read the first one , er first.

Mark Beaumont’s book was OK in comparison, though a little whiney in places.

Josie Dew’s were also quite good.

Tim Moore’s French Revolutions is a giggle.
“Put me back on my bike”, by Will Fotheringham. Great history of Mr Tom
“Freewheeling through Ireland” and others, by Edward Enfield (Harry’s dad)

Full Tilt by Dervla Murphy about her ride from Ireland to India

Its not really a travel one but Greg Lemonds book always stuck with me for his come back from injury/disability – if your mum walks with sticks she may find that quite inspirational?