Millikin cycled from his hometown of Reading, in the UK, to Reading, in Pennsylvania, USA. Why end there? Purely because of the name, which seems as good a reason as any. His journey of 46 500 kilometres took him three years, with a budget of just £6 per day.
The beginning
Millikin set off with his girlfriend. When you go cycle-touring with someone, you’re in their company for 24 hours per day. Some relationships flourish, while others don’t. Millikin’s relationship was in the second category, though I was left with the distinct impression that his girlfriend had a very lucky escape.
I love reading about other people’s round-the-world cycling journeys, but this book regularly annoyed me. Or, more accurately, Millikin regularly annoyed me.
The middle
Millikin is a competent writer, but it seemed, on this strip, at least, he was at times a functioning alcoholic. Throughout the book, right from the outset, I got the impression that there’s not a great deal of depth to the man. Now I need to also say that I don’t know him, and I may well be entirely mistaken. In fact, I’d be delighted if I was mistaken.
However, there were valid and clear reasons why his girlfriend didn’t complete the entire journey with him. There are valid reasons why he came close to getting beaten up, while stumbling drunk in a nightclub in South America.
He did have some exceptional experiences, and unfortunately, that includes getting hit by the pickup truck, with the driver not even stopping to check on him. He was extremely lucky to survive, and suffered a fractured skull.
The end
Millikin is undoubtedly a very resilient, and physically tough person. He wanted a great adventure, and he certainly succeeded in that. While some cycle touring books dive far too deep into the author’s own mind, thoughts, fears and hopes, with Reading To Reading, I was left hoping Millikin would demonstrate at least a bit of depth.
Perhaps I’m being unkind, but despite his amazing adventures, I really didn’t enjoy reading this book too much. Described as a “journey of reflection and adventure”, perhaps you’ll be more successful than me in finding much reflection in this book.
You can get your copy here, or at any shallow book store.