If you can’t actually be out riding your bike, then reading about cycling and planning your next trip is the next best thing.
Book and bikes are a regular theme at BCC.
We have previously featured schoolteacher Saber Hosseini who cycles his home-made library to far-flung rural Afghani villages so locals there who have no access to books can learn to read, the whimsical children’s storybook Along a Long Road, book, how bicycles can be promoted in local libraries and BCC’s own project A bike in my life – Recycled Dreams Community Storybook.
This week, I picked up a copy of Lonely Planet’s Epic Bike Ride of the World.
This book details 200 of arguably ‘the best places in the world to ride a bike’. The book is a colorfully illustrated hardback and is a delight to read.
It was published in 2016, so is still pretty current, although I’d love to hear how they decided on what rides to include and what to leave out.
Key Features
- The book is divided into continents chapters. This means you can quickly find what you are looking for and get info on exactly what you’re interested in.
- Each entry has a visual grading: green for ‘easy’, blue for ‘harder’ and red for ‘epic’.
- It covers all types of cycling: individual, family, sightseeing, road, mountain biking,
bikepacking , urban rides and a heap of ideas for those into epic off-track adventuring. off the beaten track. - Each ride is accompanied by awesome scenic photos and a map. There are also toolkit and advice boxes to help with the practicalities of planning that particular trip.
- The photos are
ohhhh ,sooo very motivating. I like how they include not just cycling and scenery, but also lifestyle, people, culture and travel vignettes that really showcase the uniqueness of riding in the region. - The locations included show judicious selection. What wonderful geographic spread: Moab, California, Canada, India Himalayas, NZ, Vietnam, Norway, Argentina, Japan, Denmark, Wales, Thailand, Australia … and heaps of other places. Impressive!
- At the end of each section (which is more descriptive), there is a short factual ‘more like this’ section, which includes suggestions for other rides elsewhere in the style of that ride – what a great idea!
It was really
And it’s not just me who liked it. Ed Wright from Roadcycling.co.nz gave it a rave review as well.
This book won the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 and was the winner in Favorite Travel Guide category.
So do yourself a favor – next time you’re in a library or bookshop, see if you can grab a copy of this book and check it out.
I guarantee, if you are a bike rider of any type, you will not be disappointed!
All images: Epic Bikes Rides of the World