Reviews

"It's a great read."

Paul Jones

"this gentle, funny, very human travel book became a soothing companion for a few weeks of this weird time we are living through. Loved it[...]as well as being a mini manifesto for more bike-friendly urban planning, it’s also about love and grief, and the enormous influence of grandparents on the lives of younger generations, the ways in which their experiences and outlooks can be so formative. […] my favourite lockdown book...”

Laura T, New York

via Good Reads

"I was hooked from start to finish reading this great book! It’s rich, honest, engaging and entertaining and is written in such a way you feel like the author is talking to you. It celebrates the art of travel by utility bike and “slow cycling". It's full of heart-warming anecdotes and observations about the countries he visits, the people he meets, the different attitudes to cycling – and of course lot of fun facts about all kinds of bikes. It's actually inspired me to buy a trusty utility bike, dust off my bicycle clips and go on a trip!"

Ellie Seymour

author of Secret Brighton

"I laughed out loud. I gasped at his cheek. I was fascinated by his descriptions of other cultures. I was nearly brought to tears by his heartfelt tales of his family….this book would be a very welcome addition to any cyclist’s bookshelf. Indeed, it should be read much more widely; by politicians and policy advisers—with its clear messages about the important role of bicycles in creating a greener and safer world."

Tim Wiggins

author of Life In The Saddle

"Fascinating, hilarious and thoughtful."

Anonymous Amazon review (5 stars)

"An enjoyable and interesting ride through global cycling culture."

Jet McDonald

author of Mind Is The Ride

Superb writing. Witty, pacy and highly readable - and it's a remarkable story.

James Spackman

Pursuit Books

"Amusing, and interesting throughout. It also made me cry."

Kieron Connolly

author of Bloody History of America

“Entertaining, informative, and varied...Thoughtful observations with wry humour…an unusual and very readable bicycle travelogue.”

Richard Peploe

Road.cc

"...a lovely, beautifully-written book that has something new on every page - even if, like me, you have read hundreds of books about cycling; or, indeed, if you have little interest in cycling."

Tim Dawson

Former section editor and cycling columnist at The Sunday Times

"A good eye for detail and an engaging style."

Jack Thurston

author of Lost Lanes

...a truly excellent book, written in an easy going, easily read style […] he has a delightfully self-deprecating sense of humour [...] this is one of those gems that could easily have been missed.

Brian Palmer

the Washing Machine Post

Bio

Nick Raistrick has ridden bicycles on all of the continents with the exception of Antarctica; he's photographed them in Beirut, Baghdad and Bristol; and he's written about them, and other things, for the Guardian, the BBC and Boneshaker magazine.

He has worked as a copywriter, journalist, editor, and producer. He is also a trainer and consultant, specialising on humanitarian media projects, and has worked in Somalia, Syria, Azerbaijan, Burundi, Indonesia, Turkey, Kenya, Kashmir, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Moldova, and elsewhere. He has written about gender-based violence for the UN, and wrote the BBC handbook for radio producers in Zambia.

Nick has also taken down tents in France, pulled pints in Middlesbrough, and sold pens in Bromley to make ends meet. He has lived in Prague, Madrid, and Barcelona, but comes from North Yorkshire, and a long line of people with proper, solid jobs, like steel worker and North Sea fisherman.

Nick lives in Brighton with his wife, stepchildren, chaotic toddler and approximately eight bicycles, not all of them his.

For media enquiries, please contact nick.raistrick@me.com