Cols and Passes of the British Isles - £20
By Graham Robb. Particular Books.
Not just for keen cyclists, walkers and climbers, Graham Robb’s comprehensive guide to the 2,002 cols and 105 passes from all around Britain will intrigue and inform anyone who loves unusual maps and strange atlases. An accomplished and award-winning historian and biographer, Robb has spent years researching and cataloguing this labour of love – starting with the 170 cols within a day’s ride of his home on the English-Scottish border. What Robb has created here is not just a new way of looking at the history and geography of our islands but a practical and comprehensive bucket list for challenge-hunting cyclists and walkers.
The Cyclist Who Went Out in the Cold - £15
By Tim Moore. Vintage Publishing.
Perennial cycle tourist and author of best-selling French Revolutions Moore humorously recounts his attempt to ride the 9,000km route of the old Iron Curtain on a tiny-wheeled two-geared East German shopping bike. Rapidly gaining a reputation as a ‘Bill Bryson on two wheels’, Moore’s adventure takes him through 20 countries along the ragged fringe of the now unpicked iron curtain from the northernmost Norwegian-Russian border in the arctic, to the shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria. Sleeping in bank vaults and Soviet youth hostels and relying on the hospitality of elk herders and Serbian rock gods, Moore has plenty of time to reflect on the demise of the Communist dream in this time of rising East-West tension.
Mountains: Epic Cycling Climbs - £35
Michael Blann. Thames & Hudson, £35
If there are clipless pedals on your bike and a Café Solo on your coffee table, then this is the luxurious book that should be sitting next to it. A celebration of the famous mountain roads as they are brought to life during Europe’s most famous Grand Tours, often shot from helicopters. Three years in the making, Blann’s book revels in the spectacle that these legendary races create as the pass through spectacular natural spaces, with essays and reminiscences to accompany the pictures from current and former cycling pros, such as Romain Bardet, Greg LeMond, Stephen Roche, Geraint Thomas, Lizzie Armitstead, Robert Millar, Andy Hampsten, and Ivan Basso.
Dare to Do - £15
By Sarah Outen. Hodder & Stoughton.
If ever there was a book that epitomised the phrase ‘Never give up’ Outen’s account of her eventual human-powered circumnavigation of the globe by bike and boat is it. Rower and adventurer Sarah Outen set off from London’s Tower Bridge on April 1, 2011, cycling and paddling across Europe and Asia, only to have to be rescued from the Pacific with a boat and spirit broken by the tropical storm Mawar. Despite ill health and depression Outen didn’t give up, setting off again to complete the adventure across the Pacific, across north America and the Atlantic to Tower Bridge again. On the way she became the first woman to row solo from Japan to Alaska, the first woman to row the mid-Pacific from West to East, kayaked the treacherous Aleutian chain and cycled North America – not to mention another final stormy crossing of the Atlantic. Outen’s book is a story of the raw power of nature, finding inner strength and even love in unexpected places.
Lost Lanes: London and the South East England - £15
By Jack Thurston. Wild Things Publishing.
Subtitled ’36 Glorious Bike Rides in Southern England (London and the South-East’, Thurston’s book is a collection of inspiringly written and photographed rides, with route maps, ride information, recommended B&Bs, campsites and other places to stay, wild swims, breathtaking views and how to access each ride by train (no cars required). Thurston’s enthusiasm for local colour, culture and history, as well as his passion for discovering them by bike shine through. All the routes are supported by downloadable route instructions you can print out take with you, plus a GPX navigation file for your GPS device or smartphone app. Or you can simply buy the book as a smartphone app for Android or iPhone smartphones.
Epic Bike Rides of the World - £25
By Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet Publishing.
The remit of this route collection from one the world’s must trusted publishers of travel guides is pretty wide – after all, the world is a pretty big place… But with 200 routes over 328 pages this book makes a pretty good fist of it. Organised by continent, and described by people who have ridden them, the rides vary from family-friendly, sightseeing urban rides to epic adventures off the beaten track. Destinations range from France and Italy, for the world's great bike races, to the wilds of Mongolia and Patagonia. Each of the rides is illustrated with photography and a map, plus a helping of practical details, such as where to start and finish, how to get there, where to stay and more, so you can plan your own trips.
