SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING

Here are a couple of books that might help with the planning of your cycling holidays - if you fancy a bit of a challenge. Failing that, the wonderful images and captivating writing remind you why travelling by bike is such a good way of seeing interesting parts of the world.

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Since Cyclist magazine launched in 2012, every issue has included a ‘Big Ride’ - and every account of those rides has been entertaining, inspirational, and informative. The entertainment comes from the narrative of the day’s ride (which doesn’t always go according to plan); the inspiration comes from a selection of superb images (even when conditions are ‘atmospheric’ rather than sunny); and the information is supplied by advice on logistics and a simple map (with a link to acquire a GPS-friendly download of the route).

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Later on, this was joined by a ‘Classic Climb’ every month, focussing on the single aspect of a route that can make epic rides so memorable. 

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Starting in 2017, a lot of that material has been modified and re-presented in various books: the aim is to introduce their work to a new audience, rather than sell the same information to readers of the magazine for a second time.

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First up were two volumes of ‘The Rides’, covering 62 routes between them. These are the most ‘coffee table’ orientated of the books, taking advantage of the big glossy pages to show the magnificent images off to best effect, supported by helpful captions. By contrast, the writing and information has been pared right back to the minimum. 

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The next book is one that we are reviewing here, called ‘Ride’ https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/titles/cyclist/cyclist-%e2%80%93-ride/9781784726874/ . It has a slight change of emphasis: the image count is much reduced (and those that remain lose all captions), but a lot of the original writing returns. It provides more of the practical information that you expect to find in a route guide - and plenty of encouragement to get out there yourself. 

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The 50 rides on offer have wide geographic spread: obviously there’s a selection from the traditional European destinations (such as France and Italy), but space is also given over to less predictable countries (such as Cyprus and Vietnam). There are also 13 routes from the four countries of the UK, which confirm that you don’t always have to travel far afield to experience challenging (and picturesque) riding conditions.

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The claim is that “The choice is yours. All you need is a bicycle” – but that is not strictly true: you couldn’t rely on the rudimentary map for directions, and there is nowhere to access a GPS download, so you will still need something to help with navigation.