Books about and by around the world cyclists
A personal selection of cycling stories. The short descriptions were taken from the books themselves. There is a separate page with titles in Dutch
Tim Doherty
This breathtaking world; around yhe world by bicycle 1997 – 1999.
In the summer of 1997, Tim Doherty set off alone on a daunting round-the-world cycle tour, which turned out to be even more awe-inspiring than he could have hoped. For this book, he has taken the most fascinating and humorous experiences from his diaries and woven them together into a collection of true short-stories.
Although Tim finished his trip more than 10 years ago his report is timeless, as is cycling around the globe. The black and white pictures and some drawings add a personal touch to this book. A nice read for cyclists and arm chair travellers.
This book is for sale at LuLu
Alistair Humphreys
Moods of Future Joys. (Round the World Part One: Riding into Africa)
“…if a lad from Yorkshire can overcome international terrorism, dysentery, a crushing Siberian winter and a month without showering… then there’s not really any reason why we all can’t. He may not have meant it, but Humphreys’ engaging, sometimes brutal, sometimes comic style is above all a call to arms… documented with unflinching honesty. Cycling across Africa on a route passing through Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya is apparently a brutal experience but one, it would seem, that is worth the effort. Humphreys conveys his loneliness, wanderlust, grit and despair in a manner reminiscent of the great tradition of British explorers. He may have spent many hours asking why the hell he was doing this; anyone reading his book may, in the great tradition of watching British explorers, be more curious as to whether this man was insane or not.”
More on his website
Hough, Christopher A pedaller to Peking
London, Methuen, 1986. ISBN 0-413-57980-8
“..When Cristhopher Hough embarked on this epic journey from Blackheath to Peking, he felt quiet confident that he would prove wrong all those who said de’d never make it. He had visions of cycling heroically through war-torn Iran, contacting (…) rebels in Afganistan, (…) and exploring parts of China where no one had ever cycled before. However, the reality was rather different..”
Magnouloux, Bernard Travels with Rosinante; 5 years cycling around the world. London, Grafton, 1990. ISBN 0-856-20828-3
“…this marvellousy racy account of his five-year bicycle ride around the world that took him through 45 countries, 77.000 cycled km’s, 267 tyres and 199 punctures…”
Selby, Bettina Riding the mountain down; a journey by bicycle to Kathmandu. London, Unwin, 1985. ISBN 0-04-910082-3
Selby, Bettina Riding the desert trail; by bicycle to the source of the Nile.
London, Abacus, 1988. ISBN 0-349-100121-3
“…This is the remarkable account of a lone female cyclist’s hazardous and often hair-raising 5000 mile journey from Karachi to Kathmandu. (…) In the mountains the ride became even more dangerous – avalanches, floods, Bettina’s website
Murphy, Devla Full Tilt; Dunkirk tot Delhi by bicycle. London, Arrow Books, 1987. ISBN 0-09-995530-X
“…Armed with a sun-hat, insect repellent, a Swiss army-knife and an ‘all terrain bike’, Bettina Selby set off. (…) She endured endless miles of yielding sand, swamps, deserts and jungles, was arrested and nearly killed – and emerged at her yourney’s end to tell her fascinating tale…”
Urrutia, Virginia
Two wheels and a taxi; a slightly daft adventure in the Andes (Ecuador)
Seattle, The Mountaineers, 1987. ISBN 0-89886-141-1
Dew, Josie The sun in my eyes: two-wheeling east
London, Brown and company, 2001
Another Josie Dew report on cycling in Japan. This time Josie visits several islands before heading to Hokkaido in the far north. Not as funny as her first report.
Selby, Bettina Beyond Ararat; a journey through Eastern Turkey
London, Abacus Books, 1993
Beginning her journey along the Black Sea coast of Turkey, Bettina Selby cycles south, up through rugged mountains to Mount Ararat. From this fabled centre of the world she travels past robber castles and ruined palaces further into Turkey. Bettina made this trip only weeks after the end of the Gulf War.
Smith, Roff Cold beer and crocodiles, a bicycle journey into Australia.
Washington, Adventure Press, 2000
Without any experience Roff starts a full circle around the Australian subcontinent. At the end of his 15.000 km trip he concludes that Down Under is more than cold beer and crocodiles.