One hundred years ago, the Great North Road closed and the A1 opened, heralding a century of domination by the motor car. The Cycling Europe Podcast meets BBC journalist (and one-time San Franciscan cycle courier) Steve Silk who set off on his bicycle to cycle from London to Edinburgh to rediscover what remains of the old road, its stories, milestones and coaching inns. Steve’s book – The Great North Road – is published by Summersdale on July 8th. Plus: cycling in Austria with local resident Laurence Warren. Is there more to this Alpine country than just big hills?

If you’d like to contribute to The Cycling Europe Podcast, please get in touch by emailing podcast@CyclingEurope.org. If you’d like to support the podcast, please visit Ko-Fi.com/CyclingEurope. Thanks if you can!