Anna Hughes

Since the bike was invented it has provided people with opportunity. It provided people who could not afford expensive methods of transport with a means of travelling further than they previously were able, it gave women freedom and has provided an energy efficient method of transport all over the world. The simple two wheeled machine has given us a plethora of bike types now. You can buy a cheap steel bike for a small amount of money or you can spend a large fortune on the latest carbon framed road bike that is almost light enough to float. We have mountain bikes, tourers, BMX, recumbents, folding bikes and the saddleless trials type. All of these bikes have their owners who have taken them to all of the continents, to some of the highest points on the globe and there are those who have gone to the furthest point from the ocean. Many have taken them around our planet, partly to break records, sometimes just for the hell of it. We have one of the world greatest sporting spectacles in the Tour de France, there is the insanity of the rampage downhill event and the metronomic velodrome.

Hughes has pulled together lots of stories on cycling heroes into this book. You can read about stars of the cycling world such as Froome, Wiggo and MacAskill as well of those who are not as well known, like Sunny Chuah and CK Flash. We hear about one guy who rode up Mont Ventoux on a Boris bike and tries to return it to London before he is penalised, another who attempts to cycle to Hawaii and tales of some of the fastest on two wheels. Most importantly we learn how the simple gift of a bicycle can give people so much opportunity through the work of World Bicycle Relief. This book is full of inspiring people who have seen their lives changed by the simple act of turning a pedal, or used it to change other lives. It is a great book for the bike nut in your life.… (plus d'informations)

Anna Hughes is a bit of a bicycle nut, she has worked as a mechanic in the past and for the cycling charity Sustrans for a while, but one thing that had been a burning ambition for a while to do was to cycle the 4000 miles around the coast of the UK. An easy decision to make, but this was to be the most challenging thing she had undertaken. Taking some time out from her job, and with a budget of £10 a day, she sets off from Tower Bridge in London. The first day is a bit of an emotional roller coaster, on a high because she is starting, and physically drained because it dawns on her just how hard it is going to be. However, her tenacity means she sticks with it and the routine of eat, sleep and cycle begins to take over.

This is a journey of discovery too; not only does she realise her physical limits, but as Hughes cycles, she encounters the delights of our beautiful coastline. And some of the warts… A lot of the time on her journey she is solo, but at various points she is joined by family members and friends and every now and again, complete strangers for one or more days. Travelling up to 100 miles a day by bike uses a lot of energy, replenished by large portions of fish and chips. Most of the time the weather is kind to her, but every now and again it does its worst and she has several days getting soaked and in Wales struggles through the last couple of days of a hurricane as it hits the UK. There are the obligatory midges in the far north of Scotland, and she damages a tendon at one point, but otherwise her journey is injury free.

This was an enjoyable book to read. Hughes writes in a chatty style, I liked the diary style too with the start and stop place and miles covered for each day that she cycled. She is not afraid to talk about the pain, suffering, the highs and lows and the sheer exhilaration of her journey. Mike Carter undertook the same trip which he wrote about in his book, One Man and His Bike, and even though the must have taken a very similar route and went along the same roads in some places, he had a totally different set of experiences. It goes to show that travel writing is as much about the person undertaking it as the places that they go.… (plus d'informations)