Tour de Oz

Author: Bret Harris
Publisher: HarperSports
ISBN: 9781460751770
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Book Description
Four years before the inaugural Tour de France, four cyclists known as 'Overlanders' set out on a race around Australia. On 24 November 1896 a wiry and wily bushman named Arthur Richardson left Coolgardie for Adelaide by bicycle. Carrying only a small kit and a water-bag, he followed the telegraph line. After much 'sweating and swearing' on sandy roads west of Eucla, and enduring the scorching heat, 31 days later he became the first man to pedal across the Nullarbor. But within three years Richardson had set his sights on becoming the first person to ride around the vast island continent, not yet a nation, and some 18,507km. On 5 June, 1899, he left Perth, heading north, carrying no more than a swag and a pistol. It took courage, self-confidence, endurance and resourcefulness to tackle such a ride. Richardson would follow dirt tracks, cattle and camel pads and stars in the night sky as he battled thirst, hunger, exhaustion, crocodile attack and spears from Aboriginal warriors to realize his dream. But he also had competition...another party of cyclists with the same ambition. New Zealand-born Brothers Frank and Alex White and wealthy adventurer Donald Mackay from Wallandbeen Station, NSW, were attempting the ride in a counter-clockwise direction from Melbourne and Brisbane respectively. Set against the fledging pastoralist empires of pre-Federation Australia, Tour de Oz, is the extraordinarily true story of a remarkable race to 'circumcycle' the Australian continent - before we became a nation.

Tour de Oz

Author: Bret Harris
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 146070665X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Overlander

Author: Rupert Guinness
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1925640116
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 285

Book Description
A powerful memoir about an epic bike race across one of the most challenging landscapes in the world. Rupert Guinness set out on the trip of a lifetime: to race across Australia in the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel Race. This would be no ordinary bike race. Unlike the Tour de France, which Guinness made his name reporting on for decades, competitors would ride completely unassisted from Fremantle in Western Australia to the Opera House in Sydney on the other side of the country – a gruelling distance of over 5,000 kilometres that would not only test riders’ physical endurance but their psychological resilience as well. Dubbed ‘The Hunger Games on Wheels’, there would be no help, just riders and their bikes crossing one of the most beautiful – and most inhospitable – places on earth. Rupert’s mission was to test his own grit, physical and emotional, as he followed the trail of the pioneering men and women whose historic rides over the last two centuries unveiled a largely unknown interior. But when a terrible tragedy stopped competitors in their tracks, Rupert was forced to make one of the toughest decisions he had ever faced – and ultimately, what he discovered was the extraordinary power of the human spirit.

Around the World in 80 Days

Author: Mark Beaumont
Publisher: Corgi
ISBN: 9780552175494
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The inspiring story of one man's record-breaking cycle around the world. On Monday 18th September 2017, Mark Beaumont pedalled through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes earlier he set off from the same point, beginning his attempt to circumnavigate the world in record time. Covering more than 18,000 miles and cycling through some of the harshest conditions one man and his bicycle can endure, Mark made history. He smashed two Guinness World Records and beat the previous record by an astonishing 45 days. Around the World in 80 Days is the story of Mark's amazing achievement - one which redefines the limits of human endurance. It is also an insight into the mind of an elite athlete and the physical limits of the human body, as well as a kaleidoscopic tour of the world from a very unique perspective; inspired by Jules Verne's classic adventure novel, Mark begins his journey in Paris and cycles through Europe, Russia, Mongolia and China. He then crosses Australia, rides up through New Zealand and across North America before the final 'sprint finish' thorough Portugal, Spain and France, all at over 200 miles a day. This is the story of a quite remarkable adventure, by a quite remarkable man.

The Secret Cyclist

Author: The Secret Cyclist
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473554543
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 183

Book Description
He's ridden for World Tour teams for ten years. He's achieved top ten finishes in Grand Tours. But who is The Secret Cyclist and why all the secrecy? "Every public aspect of our lives is so tightly controlled that being truly honest is all but impossible in a newspaper interview, never mind a whole book. You try write a warts-and-all blog about your office. Question how the business is run, make sure you remember to call your boss a moron, and then tell me how it goes." What do the riders really make of Team Sky? How does the pay structure work? Why should you never trust a kit endorsement from a professional? Is doping still an issue? The Secret Cyclist tackles the big questions head-on, revealing a side to cycling that fans have never seen before.

Liar

Author: Justine Larbalestier
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 159990571X
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 385

Book Description
The ultimate unreliable narrator takes readers on a thrill ride in this highly acclaimed novel. Prepare to grasp for truth until the very last page. Micah is a liar. That's the one thing she won't lie about. Over the years, she's duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents. But when her boyfriend Zach dies under brutal circumstances, Micah sets out to tell the truth. At first the truth comes easily. Other truths are so unbelievable, so outside the realm of normal, they must be a lie. And the honest truth is buried so deep in Micah's mind even she doesn't know if it's real. "Readers will get chills . . . [and] be guessing and theorizing long after they've finished this gripping story." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "[Micah's] suspenseful, supernatural tale is engrossing. . . . The chilling story she spins will have readers' hearts racing." -School Library Journal, starred review "An engrossing story of teenage life on the margins." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review An ALA Best Book for Young Adults A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of 2009

Timeless on the Silk Road

Author: Heather Ellis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780648496908
Category : Adventure travel
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Book Description
Timeless On The Silk Road is a travel memoir based on one woman's solo motorcycle odyssey along the fabled Silk Roads of antiquity. Faced with her mortality, this is a profoundly confronting tale of life and death. An evocative journey of courage, hardship and immense beauty of landscape and culture, Heather brings to life every character she meets along the way. She pays homage to the fallen ANZACs; crosses oil-rich Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea. In Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, she enters the ancient world of Islam, then rides over the high snow-capped mountain passes to the lush valleys of Kyrgyzstan where the nomads take her into their yurts and their hearts. She becomes lost in the vastness of the birch forests of Kazakhstan's Altai Mountains where she is rescued by Russian mountain men. And in China, she is repeatedly told there will soon be a new world order. Timeless On The Silk Road is essentially the story of one woman's last adventure; her one last search for meaning as she navigates the pendulum of denial and hope: depression and faith. But it is through this search that the narrative is infused with a deep spiritual power leaving the reader questioning their own mortality and leaving them with a deeper understanding of what it means for the millions globally living with HIV; for the newly diagnosed; and for those, without access to effective treatments, continue to die from AIDS. Timeless on the Silk Road is Heather's eagerly anticipated second book and follows Ubuntu: One Woman's Motorcycle Odyssey Across Africa, a travel memoir about a life-changing adventure into the soul of Africa. Published by Black Inc in April 2016 and Illuminatio in Poland in June 2017, Ubuntu has received rave reviews in Australia and internationally, and continues to be listed as a 'Bestseller' in travel on Amazon. Heather has worked as a radiation safety technician, a motorcycle courier in London, a journalist and in communications in international community development. She lives in the Yarra Valley, Australia with her three children. And she still rides motorcycles.

The Athlete Inside

Author: Sue Reynolds
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506458815
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 234

Book Description
The inspiring true story of one woman's transformation from 335 pounds to world-class triathlete in just four years. After being on yo-yo diets almost all her life, Sue Reynolds was still morbidly obese, but decided to try one more time without much hope for positive results. But this time was different. She was fed up with not being able to do things because of her size. She was tired of not being able to tie her own shoes, fit in restaurant booths, or walk more than a few feet. She was ready. The Athlete Inside follows Reynolds's journey as she lost 200 pounds and found an athlete hiding inside her body. From her first walk to the neighbor's mailbox to finishing sixth at the World Triathlon Championship, Reynolds discovered the joy of conquering fear and pride to find that the best version of herself had been there all along. A world-class triathlete and a grandmother, Reynolds is proof that you can transform your life at any age. Her story is one of hope, tenacity, and faith, as she committed to doing whatever it took to be among the best triathletes in the world. It's a story about a unique intergenerational relationship between Reynolds and the young coach who earned her trust and helped her develop fitness and confidence. It's a story about the power of kindness and the spiritual growth Reynolds experienced as she realized the compassion that surrounded her was the face of God. Ultimately, it's the story of how each of us can discover amazing gifts and talents within ourselves.

Power of the Pedal

Author: Rupert Guinness
Publisher: National Library of Australia
ISBN: 0642279225
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Book Description
In 'Power of the Pedal', read about cycling in Australia from the penny farthing to 21st-century commuters and Olympic stars. Bicycles changed our lives! They meant a new and faster way to get around and gave rise to ways of exploring, socialising and competing. In the nineteenth century cycling encouraged 'overlanders', adventurers who explored new routes through rugged terrain; cycling clubs that gave women a new kind of freedom to mix socially with men: and novel kinds of racing. In this book, cycling journalist Rupert Guinness reveals 200 years of the bike in Australian everyday life and the world of competition.

Born to Run

Author: Christopher McDougall
Publisher: Profile Books
ISBN: 184765228X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Book Description
A New York Times bestseller 'A sensation ... a rollicking tale well told' - The Times At the heart of Born to Run lies a mysterious tribe of Mexican Indians, the Tarahumara, who live quietly in canyons and are reputed to be the best distance runners in the world; in 1993, one of them, aged 57, came first in a prestigious 100-mile race wearing a toga and sandals. A small group of the world's top ultra-runners (and the awe-inspiring author) make the treacherous journey into the canyons to try to learn the tribe's secrets and then take them on over a course 50 miles long. With incredible energy and smart observation, McDougall tells this story while asking what the secrets are to being an incredible runner. Travelling to labs at Harvard, Nike, and elsewhere, he comes across an incredible cast of characters, including the woman who recently broke the world record for 100 miles and for her encore ran a 2:50 marathon in a bikini, pausing to down a beer at the 20 mile mark.