In 1983, the head teacher of a posh girl’s school in Suffolk was on holiday in India. Out the window of the tour bus, she saw a cyclist, and instantly decided that she wanted to cycle not only across India, but around the world. This was Anne Mustoe. In 1988, she finally quit her job, then got on her bicycle.
By her own admission, Mustoe wasn’t athletic, wasn’t a cyclist, didn’t know how to mend a puncture, and was overweight. This book tells the story of that adventure.
Not your average cyclist
Mustoe wasn’t an experienced cyclist, nor was she fit. She did however have a goal, and she was utterly committed to achieving it. Mustoe decided on a theme for her bike ride: first, she would try and stick to ancient Roman roads, then she would (mostly) follow the route taken by Alexander the Great. After that, Mustoe would follow the Moghuls into India, and the British Raj from India to Singapore. Finally, she would reverse the route taken by settlers in the USA, before returning to the UK.
Mustoe spoke several languages (including Classic Greek), and while I wouldn’t describe her as fearless, she was certainly a very brave person, by anyone’s standards.
Not your average round-the-world adventure
Mustoe cycled round the world in a time before always-on data connections, digital navigation, and mobile phones. She kept in touch via letters in the mail, and received mail from various American Express branches, in different countries.
The world was a different place in 1988, and Mustoe simply took it all in her stride. Her frankly encyclopaedic knowledge of the world made her journey far more insightful, and the theme to her journey certainly added to the adventure.
Mustoe wasn’t in the slightest interested in how long her journey would take. Instead, she would divert to visit sites of antiquity, or take “holidays” in between the cycling. That simply made her adventure so much better than that of someone chasing a record.
Not your average person
I wish I could have had met Mustoe, as she comes across as quite a fascinating person. Sadly, she passed away in 2009. She must’ve been formidable as a head teacher, and as a magistrate, but she also displayed enormous insight into the human psyche, and had immense sympathy with the human suffering she encountered along her adventure.
Not your average book
The title of her book, A Bike Ride, indicates how Mustoe was the very opposite of boastful. The book is extremely well-written, and while reading it you will learn things about our world you probably never knew before. However, it’s not a history book, nor (like all the best cycle touring books) is it a book about cycling.
Like many others, Mustoe realised the benefits of travelling by bicycle meant that she’d travel as a human pace. Especially in less developed parts of the world, arriving by bicycle allows you an intimate bond with the local people that would be impossible if travelling by motorised transport.
This is, and will remain one of my most-favourite cycle touring books, and I have no doubt that you would enjoy it just as much. Her book was originally published in 1992, but is still in print. You can get your copy here, or from any good book store.