When a book starts with the sentence “Life’s a funny f*cker”, you just know you’re onto something different. This book tells the story of when Killick, aged 53 and somewhat overweight, decided he needed a big adventure in his life. Well, he made that decision years before, but various things, including the Covid lockdowns, interfered with those plans.
Killick’s a talented writer, and a very compassionate person (though he certainly doesn’t boast about it). Throughout the book, he regularly turns his very sharp wit upon himself. While charity fundraising bike rides are quite normal these days, and Killick did have a fundraising page for this ride, the book itself is quite unusual: all profits from sales of the book go to the charity Killick not only supports, but also serves as a trustee for: the Pink Place.
Having done a LEJOG (Land’s End to John O’Groats, for the uninitiated) before, as well as Basingstoke to Paris, and having cycled up a few impressive Tour de France climbs, Killick isn’t new to cycling, or cycle touring. Despite this, he made several newbie mistakes on this ride, beginning with trusting Google Maps for cycling directions.
Cycling in a foreign country, where you don’t speak the language, all on your own, can be a lonely experience. Some people cannot stand spending much time in their own company, but Killick isn’t one of them. Throughout the book, he’s very honest about the ride, including times when he thought of packing it all in. And yes, there were seriously challenging times on his ride, as you would expect from rides of this sort of length. Killick’s honesty is helpful, in several ways: if you’re new to cycle touring, you’ll soon learn not every day is a great day (but the good days usually vastly outnumber the bad ones). You will also learn techniques, like complimenting someone’s command of the English language, to get them to become more positive towards you. Finally, you will learn to never trust Google Maps for cycling directions!
I found the story Killick told to be funny in places, very frustrating in others, and overall, absolutely enjoyable. Killick has a very level-headed, balanced outlook on life, and doesn’t take his blessings for granted. I have no doubts whatsoever that you will enjoy reading this book every bit as much as I did. I highly recommend you get your own copy soon. The book is available here.