Epic Bike Rides of the World

by Lonely Planet

Overview

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher

Discover 200 of the best places to ride a bike in this beautifully illustrated hardback. From family-friendly, sightseeing urban rides to epic adventures off the beaten track. Destinations range from France and Italy, for the world's great bike races, to the wilds of Mongolia and Patagonia. These journeys will inspire - whether you are an experienced cyclist or just getting started.

The book is organised by continent. In the Americas we join a family bikepacking trip in Ecuador; we pedal the Natchez Trace Parkway and stop at legendary music spots; we ride the Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon and California; go mountain biking in Moab and Canada; and explore the cities of Buenos Aires and New York by bicycle.

European rides include easy-going trips around Lake Constance, along the Danube and the Loire, and coast-to-coast routes; routes in Tuscany, Spain and Corsica; and professional journeys up Mt Ventoux and around the Tour of Flanders.

In Asia, we venture through Vietnam's valleys; complete the Mae Hong Son circuit in northern Thailand; cross the Indian Himalayas; and pedal through Bhutan. And in Australia and New Zealand we take in Tasmania and Queensland by mountain bike; cycle into Victoria's high country and around Adelaide on road bikes; and try some of New Zealand's celebrated cycle trails.

Each ride is illustrated with stunning photography and a map. A toolkit of practical details - where to start and finish, how to get there, where to stay and more - helps riders plan their own trips. There are also suggestions for three more similar rides around the world for each story. Each piece shows how cycling is a fantastic way to get to know a place, a people and their culture.

About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, gift and lifestyle books and stationery, as well as an award-winning website, magazines, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.

TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781760341879
Publisher:	Lonely Planet Global Limited
Publication date:	08/01/2016
Series:	Lonely Planet Travel Guides Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	89 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

Table of Contents

Introduction 04

Africa 06

Tour d'Afrique 08

Riding the Rif (Morocco) 14

Americas 20

Cuba's Southern Rollercoaster 22

To the Tip of Patagonia (Argentina) 28

The Natchez Trace Parkway (USA) 36

A Circuit of San Juan Island (USA) 42

Family Bikepacking in Ecuador 48

Colorado Beer Bike Tour (USA) 56

North America's Pacific Coast (USA) 62

Mountain Biking in Moab (USA) 68

Ride the Whitehorse Trails (Canada) 74

The Minuteman Bikeway (USA) 82

Buenos Aires' Bike Paths (Argentina) 88

The Covered Bridges of Vermont (USA) 94

Vancouver and Whistler (Canada) 100

Manhattan Circumnavigation (USA) 106

Asia 112

Mai Chau Cycle Ride (Vietnam) 114

Bikepacking in Mongolia 120

Cycling the Seto Inland Sea (Japan) 128

High in the Himalaya (India) 134

Bhutanese Dragon Ride 140

Mae Hong Son Circuit (Thailand) 146

Sri Lankan Sightseeing 152

China's Wild West 158

Europe 164

Bavarian Beer Ride (Germany) 166

Down The Danube (Austria) 172

Monte Amiata (Italy) 178

The Bryan Chapman Memorial (Wales) 184

Pedalling the Spanish Picos 190

Climbing Mt Ventoux (France) 196

Beating the Birkebeinerrittet (Norway) 202

West Cork's Wild Coast, (Ireland) 208

A Corsican Challenge (France) 214

Circling Lake Constance (Switzerland/Germany/Austria) 220

Sierra Nevada Traverse (Spain) 226

The South Downs Way (England) 232

Arty Copenhagen Cruise (Denmark) 238

Around the Île de Ré (France) 244

The Tour of Flanders (Belgium) 250

From Sea to Sea (England) 256

The Cévennes: Riding the Rider (France) 262

Into the Outer Hebrides (Scotland) 268

All Along the Loire (France) 274

Oceania 280

Beaches and Bicycles in Adelaide (Australia) 282

The Old Ghost Road (New Zealand) 288

Australia's Atherton Tablelands 294

The Acheron Way (Australia) 300

The Munda Biddi Trail (Australia) 306

Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail (New Zealand) 312

Tasmania's Wild West (Australia) 318

Index 324

Editorial Reviews

"Armchair cyclists and pro-level pedalers alike will find many new reasons to hit the road."—O, The Oprah Magazine

"Armchair, beginner and hardcore cyclists will thrill to the pictures and diverse biking routes outlined in this substantial hardcover book."—Newsday

"This eye-catching and inspirational work provides ample encouragement to even the most novice cyclist to get out and experience a new biking adventure...gives readers hundreds of ideas."—Library Journal

"Beautifully illustrated hardback...These journeys will inspire – whether you are an experienced cyclist or just getting started."—Crave

"At first glance, what stands out most about this volume is its beauty—the gorgeous cover, the breathtaking interior photos full of personality, the maps that are simple and useful yet visually appealing. But that level of excellence and attention to detail simply befits the beautiful world these memorable bike rides showcase, and this volume contains information and insight that reach far beneath the surface...The book has the expertise and excellence you’d expect from Lonely Planet. It is best suited to experienced cyclists, but it by no means requires the most advanced skills, readers are assured."—Foreword

"This is a peach of a read: aspirational and ambitious, it's perfect for cyclists who might be getting a little tired of following the same rutted path every day"—Burton Mail

"Avid cyclists will want to get their hands on this Lonely Planet title. Covering more than 200 trails—including family-friendly jaunts and epic off-the-beaten-path asides— from the Pacific Coast Highway to Patagonia, it's sure to inspire your 2018 travels."—Jetsetter

"With a range of rides for every type bike in practically every corner of the globe, this looks to be a book that will pass many a cold wet evening by the fire."—Single Track

"Epic Bike Rides of the World is the latest book from Lonely Planet that budding bikers and committed cyclists shouldn’t be without. This beautiful book is a great addition to your coffee table…"—New Zealand Herald

"Inside its pages is a catalogue of bank balance-melting, excess baggage charge-inducing, arse-chafing big rides accompanied by photography that is occasionally so breathtaking you feel like you’ve already done the first km. This is some high-class bike porn, this is. And inspiring and informative too. But mostly the former."—New Zealand Herald

"Once you clap your eyes on the jaw-droppingly exhilarating photos you’ll be taking your bike to the local cyclery to get it in bike-touring condition. The pictures of the Dolomites in Italy and the Taktsang Monastery in Bhutan … made me want to teleport with my bike to faraway lands without delay. "—Good Reading

"More than a laundry list of the world’s most beautiful bike paths, this hardcover book presents a bevy of first-person accounts of 50 cycling routes from 30 countries. Get inspired, and then find out what you need to do to get you and your two wheels there, from the experts at Lonely Planet."—Toronto Star

"Bicycle travel is about going slowly, exploring the world and seeing it for the first time, also bringing back the most indelible memories about the people you’ve met. Epic Bike Rides of the World by Lonely Planet reveals the most epic bike rides in the world, from easy-going, family-friendly rides and urban sightseeing routes to epic adventures off the beaten track. From a 7,500 mile pedal through Africa to a remote ride over the Mongolian plains, the worlds most epic biking routes have been revealed in this beautifully illustrated hardback."—Bless This Stuff

From the Publisher

"Armchair, beginner and hardcore cyclists will thrill to the pictures and diverse biking routes outlined in this substantial hardcover book."

Newsday

"Armchair cyclists and pro-level pedalers alike will find many new reasons to hit the road."

The Oprah Magazine O

"Beautifully illustrated hardback...These journeys will inspire – whether you are an experienced cyclist or just getting started."

Crave

"Avid cyclists will want to get their hands on this Lonely Planet title. Covering more than 200 trails—including family-friendly jaunts and epic off-the-beaten-path asides— from the Pacific Coast Highway to Patagonia, it's sure to inspire your 2018 travels."

Jetsetter

"At first glance, what stands out most about this volume is its beauty—the gorgeous cover, the breathtaking interior photos full of personality, the maps that are simple and useful yet visually appealing. But that level of excellence and attention to detail simply befits the beautiful world these memorable bike rides showcase, and this volume contains information and insight that reach far beneath the surface...The book has the expertise and excellence you’d expect from Lonely Planet. It is best suited to experienced cyclists, but it by no means requires the most advanced skills, readers are assured."

Foreword

"This is a peach of a read: aspirational and ambitious, it's perfect for cyclists who might be getting a little tired of following the same rutted path every day"

Burton Mail

"More than a laundry list of the world’s most beautiful bike paths, this hardcover book presents a bevy of first-person accounts of 50 cycling routes from 30 countries. Get inspired, and then find out what you need to do to get you and your two wheels there, from the experts at Lonely Planet."

Toronto Star

"Bicycle travel is about going slowly, exploring the world and seeing it for the first time, also bringing back the most indelible memories about the people you’ve met. Epic Bike Rides of the World by Lonely Planet reveals the most epic bike rides in the world, from easy-going, family-friendly rides and urban sightseeing routes to epic adventures off the beaten track. From a 7,500 mile pedal through Africa to a remote ride over the Mongolian plains, the worlds most epic biking routes have been revealed in this beautifully illustrated hardback."

Bless This Stuff

12/01/2016
This eye-catching and inspirational work provides ample encouragement to even the most novice cyclist to get out and experience a new biking adventure. Featuring contributions from 12 authors with varied cycling and travel writing experience, this book gives readers hundreds of ideas for rides covering approximately 30 countries (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania); many of them "epic" or "bucket list" in nature. Arranged regionally, routes vary from hugely challenging (and quite dangerous) multiday rides to well-established big-city cruises taking a few hours. Basic information, called a "toolkit," purports to enable better planning. However, the information provided is uneven and extremely brief, especially for the more exotic and remote routes around the world. Riders for these routes would have no real idea of what type of bike works best on the route, equipment needed, support, technical level, overall cost, language requirements, or simply whether or not a guide is recommended. Basically, riders are certainly inspired but left to do their own travel planning arrangements and in-depth research, which could be either beneficial or disastrous. VERDICT For libraries with large travel and recreational collections.—John N. Jax, Univ. of Wisconsin Lib., La Crosse

Library Journal