books about cycling around the world?

anything worth reading / buying for a mate?

Cheers

Pete

"Long ride for a pie" by Tim Mulliner

The Man who cycled the World

Not read it but just bought the Hungry cyclist by Tom Davies for Mr MC.

"Moods of Future Joys" by Alastair Humphreys

a second for long ride for a pie – less haste that beaumont , makes for a more relaxing read – not that beaumonts book was bad at all – just a different style of trip

jon1973

The Man who cycled the World

terrible book, there is no story to tell other than…
Got up, cycled for 10 hours, moaned a lot about it, slept, got up, cycled for 10 hours. Moaned about it some more…. etc etc

Very old book but still a good read.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Rosinante-Years-Cycling-Round/dp/0946609705

barrykellett – Member

The Man who cycled the World

terrible book, there is no story to tell other than…
Got up, cycled for 10 hours, moaned a lot about it, slept, got up, cycled for 10 hours. Moaned about it some more…. etc etc

You've met the author then?

johnny ginger's last ride is a good read

A few years ago I read a book by a German who headed off shortly after WW2 and took 28 years, getting married on the way. Can't recall the author or the title, but he stopped and worked for quite a while in places along the way, so it was a readable travel / adventure book, not just a list of distances and times.

Started one of the Josie Dew ones and wasn't grabbed by it, gave up after a couple of chapters.

Not round the world books but the 3 Josie Dew books I've read have kept me up at night(unable to put them down)
http://www.josiedew.co.uk/books.htm

just read moods of future joy by aladtir humphreys. good read.

"Moods of Future Joys" by Alastair Humphreys + 1
and the follow up Thunder and sunshine

Round the World on a Wheel, by J Foster Fraser. No one will ever come close to being as self reliant as him and his two mates. Written in 1899 but still available in reprint (I've got an original)

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle http://www.amazon.co.uk/Full-Tilt-Ireland-India-Bicycle/dp/0879512482 is on my bedside table at the mo

"Moods of Future Joys" by Alastair Humphreys + 2

and the related Rob Lilwall's "Cycling home from Syberia"

Full Tilt, absolutely agree, first Dervla Murphy book I ever read, humbling

Josie Dew books are interesting, nearly finished Tom Kevill Davies' Hungry Cyclist and that is a great read

"Round the World on a Wheel" by John Foster Fraser.

More my era than yours though 🙂

Another vote for Alistair Humphries books:
Moods of Future Joys
Thunder and Sunshine
Funny, moving and humbling but without being egotistical.

Richard and Nicholas Crane – Journey to the Centre of the Earth or Bicycles up Kilimanjaro. Both real 80s adventures before it was really trendy to do so.

"Moods of Future Joys" by Alastair Humphreys

+whateverWe'reUpTo

A Bike Ride, Anne Musto

+1 for "Cycling home from Siberia"

Out of print now, but you need to read Nick Sanders book 'Around the world in the world in 80days'. So hard core it's unreal. A total nutter, but a smashing bloke.

+1 on the Alastair Humphries

You really need to get both Moods of Future Joy and Thunder and Sunshine.

Read one on the outbound flight to nz and the other on the way back. Both really good reads particularly the second.

Like others I too found Mark Beaumont's book a little tedious.

This is quite good too:

Its not a book, its a website, but worth a look. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/

PQ, a sometime member of this forum has done his fair share. This is one of his epics. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Occupiedterritories

second for josie dew here – she's a witty lass, brysonesque, i hear (nopt read bill bryson though)

i also read 'riding the mountains down' by bettina selby which was amazing – a far more detailed and dry account than JD but great in its own way

druidh – Member

You've met the author then?

Why do I need to have met the author to know what I think of a book?!
I've read the book and it was very underwhelming.
There is no adventure about it.Sure, if you want to read about what is likely to happen if you're going for a world record circumnavigation around the world it would be useful. as a reference guide.

Taking nothing away from beaumont, it was an amazing achievement. The BBC documentary on the attempt was spot on IMO.

Another vote for Ann Musto's A Bike Ride.

Inspirational.

I think Anne Mustoe wrote 2 or 3 books about cycling – she retired, learned to ride a bike, did a round the world trip and got hooked, so started looking at other routes to do. She died late last year, still riding – over 20 years after she started riding.

Teagirl – were you at St Felix, or did you just come across her book by chance?

barrykellett – Member
> druidh – Member

> You've met the author then?

Why do I need to have met the author to know what I think of a book?!
I've read the book and it was very underwhelming.
There is no adventure about it.Sure, if you want to read about what is likely to happen if you're going for a world record circumnavigation around the world it would be useful. as a reference guide.

Taking nothing away from beaumont, it was an amazing achievement. The BBC documentary on the attempt was spot on IMO.

Nah – I was meaning that you seemed to have summed him up pretty well….

stealthcat I have at least 5 Anne Mustoe

Around the world on a bicycle – Thomas Stevens

Not around the world travel but 'Three men on a bike' by Rory Spowers is quite humorous. Its about a bunch of people riding the Goodies trandem through Africa.

Also Pete, I'm pretty sure the order I placed earlier this week from DiscoBrakes has been posted to your address after our swap last summer, XT cassette/Brake pads.. Please get in touch if it has. Cheers

Again not RTW, but worth reading:

http://www.cycleuktochina.com/%5B/url%5D

Bettina Selby – Beyond Ararat – Turkey only but with high cultural content as well as the usual 'by day 107 my ar$e was really sore etc'.

Stealthcat : I found Anne Mustoe's book in WHSmiths, not quite as good story. Did you know her, wonderful lady and lived life to the full by the sounds of it.

I went to St Felix the term after she left, so met her at my entrance interview. We got regular progress reports from her first trip, as the school had paid for her bike as her leaving present and most of the pupils knew her pretty well. She gave the Speech Day address the year she finished the ride, and turned up with all the luggage she'd taken with her – a couple of days' worth of riding clothes, a sarong and a silk suit. And no puncture repair kit!

I did meet her again after that, when she gave a talk for a group my parents were involved in, and she was talking about planning more trips and working out what to base the routes on – Silk Road was one of the plans, and also something in South America, as far as I remember.