| Books for inspiration |
| Even when I'm not touring, I'm planning a tour. Reading other peoples accounts of their cycling trips can be inspiring and/or depressing, but it's always better than watching the telly or paying taxes. The 76 or so I've read have been rated based on my own biases. Sadly very few of them cover South America in any detail. The ratings are based simply on how much I enjoyed reading the books and sometimes how well they managed to portray the feelings I associate with cycletouring. Within each category (Excellent, Good, Average and Not for me) the order is random. Some of these books are out of print.
For more books I've listed over 302 published bicycle travelogues arranged alphabetically by author. Linked titles usually mean the books are still available (as at February 2009). The links usually go to the book's page at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. Links open in new windows. Out of print books can sometimes be found at Alibris.com. Australian users may want to try the following online stores: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au, www.angusrobertson.com.au. This page last updated November 2010. |
| EXCELLENT :: GOOD :: AVERAGE :: NOT FOR ME |
| EXCELLENT |
| Tim Moore - French Revolutions Following the 2000 Tour de France route. Hilarious. 2002. ISBN 0 09 943382 6 |
| Anne Mustoe - A Bike Ride Round The World. 1991. ISBN 1 85227 337 2 |
| Andy Brown & Tim Garratt - Discovery Road Round The World including Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina & Chile 1998. ISBN 0 9530575 3 4 |
| Josie Dew - A ride in the neon sun Japan. 1999. ISBN 0 7515 1755 0 |
| Josie Dew - The wind in my wheels Lots of places. 1992. ISBN 0 7515 0249 9 |
| Thomas Stevens - Around the world on a penny-farthing (AKA Around the World on a Bicycle) Round The World in 1884. Reprinted 1988. ISBN 0 09 973920 8 |
| Dervla Murphy - Full tilt England to India in the early '60s. 1965. ISBN 0 09 995530 X |
| Mark Jenkins - Off the map Siberia. 1992. ISBN 0 06 097532 6 |
| Bernard Magnouloux - Travels with Rosinante Round The World including Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina & Chile. 1988. OUT OF PRINT. ISBN 0586208283 |
| Richard Allen - Shimmering Spokes Round Australia. 1999. ISBN 1 86436 521 8 Australian publication; search for it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Andrew X Pham - Catfish and Mandala Vietnam. 1999. ISBN 0 00 257184 6 |
| Rupert Attlee - The Trail to Titicaca South America - Argentina, Chile & Bolivia. 1997. ISBN 1 84024 095 4 |
| Tim Krabbe - The Rider A fictional account of a 137km road race from the perspective of a single rider. The entire story takes place in the race. 2002 (for the English translation; 1978 for the original Dutch). ISBN 0 7475 5941 4 |
| Nicholas Crane - Cycling in Europe Out of print since the late '80s, but quite simply the best, most useful and well written travel guide I have ever encountered (for cycling or otherwise). Lonely Planet would be well advised to get a copy before they produce any more of their unimaginative join-the-dots cycling guide books, although they'd be lucky to find a writer of Crane's calibre. 1984. OUT OF PRINT. ISBN 0 330 28547 5 |
| Joe Kurmaskie - Metal Cowboy: Tales from the Road Less Pedalled Various places - US, Australia, NZ, Mexico. 1999. ISBN 0 609 80911 3 |
| Roff Smith - Cold Beer and Crocodiles Round Australia 2000. ISBN: 0792279522 |
| Willie Weir - Spokesongs India, South Africa, Balkan Europe 2000. ISBN: 1891369172 |
| Stamboulis, Dave - Odysseus' Last Stand : The Chronicles of a Bicycle Nomad Round the world Self Published. September 2005. ISBN: 0976013452 |
| Kurmaskie, Joe - Riding Outside the Lines: International Incidents and Other Misadventures With the Metal Cowboy 2003. ISBN: 1400047986 |
| Enfield, Edward - Downhill all the way France 1995. Reprinted 2007. ISBN: 1840245603 |
| Zamek, Scott - One more horizon: Ohio to Hong Kong the long way Round the world 2003. ISBN 0 9746416 0 X |
| Malusa, Jim - Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents Botanist Jim Malusa cycles to the lowest point on six continents. Australia, Egypt, Israel, Jordon, Russia, Chile, Argentina, Djibouti and the U.S. 2008. ISBN-13: 978-1578051410 |
| Humphreys, Alastair - Thunder & Sunshine Round the World part 2 (Moods of Future Joys is part 1). South America, North America, Russia, China, Europe. June 2008. ISBN: 978-1903070543 |
| Hakim, Adi B. / Bhumgara, Rustom B. / Bapasola, Al P. - With Cyclists Around the World Three Indian men from the Bombay Weightlifting Club cycle around the world over four and a half years, starting in 1923. First published 1928. Very insightful. 2008. ISBN 9788174366184 |
| Guise, Richard - From the Mull to the Cape: A Gentle Bike Ride on the Edge of Wilderness Scotland 2008. ISBN: 978-1840246742 |
| GOOD |
| Polly Evans - It's Not About the Tapas Spain 2003. ISBN 0 553 81556 3 |
| Polly Benge - Tea for two...with no cups Nepal & India 2000. ISBN 0 9530575 9 3 |
| Josie Dew - Travels in a strange state USA. 1994. ISBN 0 7515 0575 7 |
| Josie Dew - The sun in my eyes Japan re-visited. 2001. ISBN 0 316 85362 3 |
| Dew, Josie - Long cloud ride New Zealand 2007. ISBN: 1847440143 |
| Rory Spowers - Three men on a bike Africa - on the 3 seater used by 'The Goodies' in their '70s TV show. 1995. ISBN 0 86241 542 X |
| Travis, Cindie and Tim - Down the Road in South America Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. A better written and much more tightly edited book that their first. These guys are still on the road and buying their books helps keep them on the go. So why not buy direct from them and keep 'em happy. Their books are available in paper, pdf and audiobook formats. Self published. 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0975442739 |
| Tom Vernon - Fat man on a bicycle France. 1981. OUT OF PRINT. ISBN 0 7181 2072 8 |
| Anne Mustoe - Lone traveller Round the World. 1998. ISBN 0 7535 0426 X |
| Anne Mustoe - Two wheels in the dust Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. 2001. ISBN 0 7535 0671 8 |
| Natascha Scott-Stokes - The amber trail Eastern Europe. 1993. ISBN 1 85799 049 8 |
| Brian Hall - Stealing from a deep place Eastern Europe. 1988. ISBN 0 7493 9023 9 |
| Brian Newhouse - A crossing USA. 1998. ISBN 0 671 56898 1 |
| Tom Fremantle - Johnny Ginger's last ride England to Australia. 2000. ISBN 0 333 37692 6 |
| JD Holzhauer - West from Montevideo Uruguay. 1989. OUT OF PRINT. ISBN 0 304 31752 7 |
| Bettina Selby - Riding north one summer UK. 1990. ISBN 0 7011 3416 X |
| Nick Sanders - The Great Bike Ride - Around the world in 80 Days Round The World. 1988. OUT OF PRINT. ISBN 1 85253 228 9 |
| Giles Whittell - Lambada country Eastern Europe. 1992. OUT OF PRINT. ISBN 1 85799 003 X |
| Tim Cope & Chris Hatherly - Off the rails Russia, Siberia, Mongolia and China on recumbents. 2003. ISBN 0 670 04046 0. |
| Richard and Nicholas Crane - Journey to the Centre of the Earth Asia - Bangladesh to the centre of the Gobi desert 1987. ISBN: 0593012917 |
| Richard and Nicholas Crane - Bicycles Up Kilimanjaro Africa 1987. OUT OF PRINT. ISBN: 0946609497 |
| Andrew Bain - Headwinds Round Australia 2003. ISBN 1 74066 092 7 Australian publication; search for it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Russell McGilton - Yakety Yak Asia - India, Pakistan, Nepal & China 2004. ISBN: 0143002473 Australian publication; search for it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Michael McGirr - Bypass, the story of a road Sydney to Melbourne along the Hume Highway. An interesting account of the history of the road and people met along the way. Yes, the author is aware that the Hume, Australia's major highway is not the best place for a tour. But McGirr is an entertaining writer. 2004. ISBN: 0-330-36493-6 Australian publication; search for it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Edward Enfield - Greece on My Wheels Greece 2003. ISBN 1 84024 280 9 |
| Anne Mustoe - Cleopatra's Needle Two Wheels by the Water to Cairo 2003. ISBN 0 7535 0813 3 |
| Stevie Smith - Pedalling to Hawaii Europe, USA, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (in a pedal powered boat) 2005. ISBN: 1 84024 446 1 |
| Mulliner, Tim - Long Ride for a Pie England to New Zealand. 2006. ISBN 1 86966 135 4 New Zealand publication; search for it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.dymocks.co.nz, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Meecham, Eleanor - Llamas & Empanadas South America - Argentina, Chile and Bolivia 2007. ISBN: 978-0-14-300640-4 New Zealand publication; search for it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.dymocks.co.nz, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Anderson, Neil - The Lead Goat Veered Off Sardinia Self Published. 2000 (2nd edition 2004) ISBN: 0 9686740 2 X |
| Anderson, Neil - Partners in Grime Across Canada 2005. ISBN: 0968674011 |
| Humphreys, Alastair - Moods of Future Joys Africa, top to bottom. Self Published. 2006. ISBN: 1897312229 |
| Leeming, Kate - Out there and back 25,000km in the Australian outback. 2007. ISBN 978192089246 Australian publication. Try www.dymocks.com.au or order from the expedition's website - www.gracexpedition.org |
| AVERAGE |
| Lynette Chiang - The handsomest man in Cuba Cuba. 2003. ISBN 1 86325 416 1 Australian publication; find it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Dervla Murphy - The Ukimwi Road Kenya to Zimbabwe. 1993. ISBN 0 00 654802 4 |
| Dervla Murphy - Transylvania & Beyond Rumania. 1992. ISBN 0 09 920601 3 |
| Dervla Murphy - South from Limpopo South Africa. 1997. ISBN 0 00 655105 X |
| Bettina Selby - Pilgrims Road Northern Spain. 1994. ISBN 0 349 10594 4 |
| Bettina Selby - Beyond Ararat Eastern Turkey. 1993. ISBN 0 349 10508 1 |
| Bettina Selby - Riding the Desert Trail North Africa to the source of the Nile. 1989. ISBN 0 349 10121 3 |
| Christopher Hough - A pedaller to Peking England to China. 1986. OUT OF PRINT. ISBN 0 7472 3111 7 |
| Keith Dunstan - Confessions of a bicycle nut Australia, USA, China and Aus cycling history all mixed together. 1999. ISBN 1 86350 252 1 Australian publication; find it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Mark Llewellyn - Riders to the midnight sun Sevastapol to Murmansk. 2000. ISBN 1 86436 641 9 |
| Anne Mustoe - Amber, Furs And Cockleshells: travels with Pilgrims and Merchants The Amber Route (Trans Europe), the Santa Fe Trail (USA) and the Pilgrim Way to Santiago de Compostela (Spain). 2005. ISBN: 0753509830 |
| Mary Elsy - Pedals and Petticoats Four young women on a grand tour in post WWII Europe 2005 ISBN: 1 84024 439 9 |
| Thomas, Mickey - You Can't Ride a Bike to Alaska. It's an Island! North America 2005. ISBN: 059537350X Self published. Downloadable e-book version also available. |
| Travis, Tim - The Road That Has No End, How we traded our ordinary lives for a global bicycle touring adventure. North America and Central America. The authors are still on the road and their other published titles cover South America and South East Asia. In the meantime you can follow their adventures on their website. Self published. 2004. ISBN 0975442708 |
| Enfield, Edward - Freewheeling Through Ireland: Travels with My Bicycle Ireland 2006. ISBN: 1840245085 |
| Edwards, Hazel & Trevelyan Quest - Cycling Solo, Ireland to Istanbul Europe - As transcribed from Trevelyan's blog (now taken down but still cached by google). A nice and funny turn of phrase at times but basically it reads exactly like his blog, typos, clipped sentences, references to his readers and all. 2006. ISBN 1 920785 92 2 Australian publication; search for it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Kevill-Davies, Tom - The Hungry Cyclist: Pedalling the Americas in Search of the Perfect Meal North, Central and South America including Colombia and Brazil. 2009. ISBN-13: 978-0007278848 |
| NOT FOR ME |
| Pamela Watson - Esprit de Battuta Africa with way, way, way too many references to homesickness for a travel book. 1999. ISBN 1 86498 065 6 Find it here: www.dymocks.com.au, www.gleebooks.com.au or www.angusrobertson.com.au |
| Eric Newby - Round Ireland in low gear The only cycling travelogue I've not managed to read to its end. Just too bogged down in low gear and dull historical fact. 1987. ISBN 0 330 30490 9 |
| Barbara Savage - Miles from Nowhere Round The World - Thought this was an awful read, although I've met people who said this book started them in cycle touring - and it has been in print for over 25 years, so a lot of people really like it I guess. 1983. ISBN 0 89886 109 8 |
| John Hanson Mitchell - Following the Sun Europe - A Bicycle Pilgrimage from Andalusia to the Hebrides. Odd, disjointed, very old fashioned travelogue with many tired historical discourses on sun worship. 2002. ISBN: 1582431361 |
| Sally Vantress - Seeing Myself Seeing the World A Woman's Journey Around the World. Can't fault the author on her effort and journey but the writing is too prone to sickly sweetness, navel gazing and new age waffle for me. 1991. ISBN: 1880101076 |
| Mustoe, Anne - Che Guevara and the Mountain of Silver Chile, Argentina and Bolivia This is a fine travelogue. However it isn't a cycling travelogue despite the subtitle ("By bicycle and train through South America") and the Anne Mustoe logo - the author and bike in silhouette - on the front cover. All of the riding is over before the book is 1/3 done and what little cycling takes place in the first third is unfortunately usually prefixed with a guilty excuse as to why it didn't happen - It was raining so we caught the bus, it was windy so we caught the bus, it was too far so we caught the bus, we were running out of time so we caught the bus etc. What a pity, I only bought the book because I so enjoy the authors other tales from the saddle. 2007. ISBN 978 0 7535 1274 6 |