Home To Holme To Home
I now have cold feet…
The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 003
It’s the first of the month (white rabbits etc…), which means just one thing; the next episode of The Cycling Europe Podcast is available to download from your preferred podcast purveyor or direct from this website! It’s episode 003 already (I’ll stop when I get to 999) and […]
Episode 003: Ian Street, Barry Godin, Jimmy Hyland & Harry Bunnell / Cycling Films
The cycling film special! The Leeds Bicycle Film Club (Ian Street), Mongolia (Jimmy Hyland), bikepacking & filmmaking (Barry Godin) & the definitive list of the greatest cycling films ever, perhaps (BFI/Harry Bunnell).
Harry Bunnell & The Sicily 1000
Harry Bunnell appeared on these pages a couple of weeks ago and he will be soon heard on The Cycling Europe Podcast (available to download from 1.11.17) talking about the greatest cycling films ever made. Here he is cycling around the coastline of Sicily:
In Praise Of… The Leeds Bicycle Film Club
The end of the month approaches…. which can only mean that The Cycling Europe Podcast is just around the corner. November’s podcast – episode 3 – will be film themed. Here’s a short extract from the part of the podcast where I visit The Leeds Bicycle Film Club. […]
On Your Bike Abroad: Cycling The EuroVelo 3 From Trondheim To Santiago
CyclingEurope.org often veers off topic, but here’s a story that is bang on topic. It starts with an email from Harry: Hi Andrew, I’m planning to cycle EuroVelo 3 in September this year, and was wondering if I could ask you a few questions? My father read about […]
Another Commute Bikes The Dust…
…Stainland to Halifax. New commute; the (inevitable) new film:
Cycling Up Everest… In Sicily?
Yes, it’s true, kind of… The story of a cyclist from London who became the first person to ‘Everest’ Mount Etna in Sicily. On 16th September 2017, Harry Bunnell took on the volcano multiple times until he reached the same elevation as the world’s highest peak, 8848 metres. […]
Lover Of Travel? The ‘Spain To Norway…’ Speaking Tour Continues!
Since the publication of Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie in May 2017, the speaking tour has taken in the Cycle Touring Festival in Clitheroe, Oxford, Bristol, The Immrama Festival of Travel Writing in Lismore, Ireland, London, York, Cambridge and an audience of hundreds in the […]
You Wait Ages For A Review…
…then three – one for each book – come along all at once! Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie: “Five stars as it kept me smiling throughout, written simply but in a compelling style that made me want to get on my bike, forget Strava and just […]
The Return Of The Cycling Commuter
I’m delighted to announce that as from tomorrow, I return to life as… a regular cycling commuter. It is now nearly three years since I said goodbye to my colleagues at Gillotts School in Henley-on-Thames where, for most of the previous eight years I had regularly cycled to […]
Britain By Bike With Stephanie, Richard, Larry & George
I’m going to start with a short extract from ‘Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie‘. I was in Denmark at the time and, having just paused to buy some new tyres, was en route to Copenhagen: Cycling route 8 had now finished and was replaced with […]
The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 2
Episode 2 of The Cycling Europe Podcast is now available to download! More details on how to do so here… or simply click on the arrow below, sit back and relax: This is what you’ll find in episode 002: The Cycle Show (o minutes 40 seconds) Ridgeback Bikes (1″14″) […]
Episode 002: The Cycle Show, Matej Mohoric / La Vuelta, Brussels / EuroVelo 5, The Ryburn Valley Greenway
The Cycle Show, La Vuelta a Espana (Matej Mohoric, UAE Team Emirates), Brussels (Eurovelo 5), The Ryburn Valley Greenway.
“Entertaining”, “Enjoyable”, “Witty”, “Informative”
It’s Cycling UK’s verdict of Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie of course…
Tour De Yorkshire: 2018 Start And Finish Locations Announced
A few words from the Tour de Yorkshire, including some very good news for the CyclingEurope.org’s home town, Halifax: The eight host locations for 2018 Tour de Yorkshire have been unveiled today. The stages for the newly expanded fourth edition will begin or end in: Barnsley (South Yorkshire) […]
Dear Jesse Norman, Transport Minister…
I am writing to ask if you could write to the motorists of Britain (as you wrote to the cycling associations of Britain last Friday), asking them to follow the Highway Code. Specifically, could you remind all drivers about the following things: respecting the speed limits, even in […]
Brexit, Trump, Kim Jong-un… – The Antidote
If only you could bottle autumn evenings like this one…
The Ryburn Valley Greenway: A (Curious?) Update
A few weeks ago at the start of September, I posted an article to CyclingEurope.org about something called the Ryburn Valley Greenway. You may want to read what I wrote at the time (and watch the videos that I made) before you continue to read this but basically… […]
New Zealand: Cycling The Long White Cloud
A rather beautiful film about an Australian cyclist travelling the length of New Zealand… The full story can be read here.
The Cycle Show 2017: Bicycle Of The Show
Well, from the perspective of a touring cyclist it is… all €8,133 of it. The Van Nicholas Deveron, as described by the company’s sales director earlier today at the Cycle Show at the NEC in Birmingham. More snippets from the show in the podcast: download on October 1st. […]
Le Tour De Yorkshire Expands!
Fantastic news from Welcome To Yorkshire, organisers of the Tour de Yorkshire: Yorkshire has received a huge boost today with the news that the Tour de Yorkshire will grow from three to four days in 2018. Organisers Welcome to Yorkshire and A.S.O had been seeking to extend the […]
The Cycle Show 2017: Preview
It’s that time of the year when the cycling world heads for the NEC in Birmingham for the annual Cycle Show… I’m off to the press and trade day today; the show opens to the public tomorrow and continues until Sunday. Expect a few posts about the event […]
The UCI World Championships: Bergen
I had the pleasure of visiting Bergen – host of this year’s UCI World Championships – a few days after arriving at Nordkapp back in 2015. I recommend a visit… These pictures (see link to original post below) may tempt you to book a flight (or perhaps even […]
Official Launch Of The EuroVelo 5 – Via Romea (Francigena) App
From the EuroVélo website… (and the reason why I was in Brussels last week): “A new application has been launched for smart phones and tablets to help people plan and then cycle the route of EuroVelo 5 – Via Romea (Francigena). Over a thousand years ago, pilgrims used […]
Cycling Brussels: The Audio Report
The following report will be included in the next episode of The CyclingEurope.org Podcast published on October 1st. It was recorded during my visit to Brussels last week to meet up with the project team developing the tourism aspect of the Eurovelo 5. It also includes a look […]
Brussels: The Greenway
Brussels: Bicycles, Beer And A Band
A busy day…
A Short Trip To… Brussels
I’ve spent much of the past three years thinking about cycling from southern Spain to northern Norway; planning the journey, completing the journey, recovering from the journey, writing the book about the journey and, more recently, marketing the book about the journey. (What? You hadn’t noticed?) The next […]
Chris Froome, Geoff Thomas And The Three Tours Challenge
As predicted a few weeks ago here on CyclingEurope.org (10 Things To Know About… La Vuelta A España), Chris Froome did indeed win the Vuelta. OK, it wasn’t a difficult prediction to make and anyway, I was merely quoting the predictions of those with greater knowledge at Cyclist.co.uk. […]
THIS WEEK: Cycle To Work Day – 13th September 2017
“Cycling Epic!” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (And Heroic?)
I pick out this review for Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie from Amazon.co.uk as I’ve rarely (well, never) been described as ‘heroic’ before. I have already updated the CV… “A book which serves up so much. It will delight not just avid touring cyclists but […]
Up The Buttress!
Remember Crossing Europe On The EuroVelo 5?
I’m currently reminiscing, putting together a short presentation* for my visit to Brussels next week where I’ve been asked to reflect upon my 2010 cycle from the UK to southern Italy along the EuroVelo 5. Browsing through the photos and website posts from the time (I came up […]
Cycling The World… Single Speed
Yes, single speed. Just to clarify: with one gear. It sounds a crazy idea to most but not to Markus Stitz, an Edinburgh-based bikepacker from Germany. In the autumn of 2015 (shortly after I finished my own somewhat-less-epic ride from Tarifa to Nordkapp), Markus set off to cycle […]
10 Things To Know About… La Vuelta A España
It’s rest day at La Vuelta.. have you been keeping up? With just six stages remaining, here is some background information about the race published on CyclingEurope.org back in the hot, sultry [are you sure?] days of August. Interesting to compare the names mentioned in point 10 with […]
The Ryburn Valley Greenway
‘Greenways’, ‘Vias Verdes‘, ‘Voies Vertes‘… they are all the same thing – in English, Spanish and French respectively – and they have cropped up from time to time in this parish, most recently a couple of months ago when I had the opportunity of cycling along the Waterford […]
This Day In History… And The CyclingEurope.org Podcast
It’s Friday 1st September 2017. On this day in history… …Louis XIV died (1715) …the last known passenger pigeon, Martha, died in captivity in Cincinnati Zoo (1914) …Ernest Hemingway’s Pulitzer-prize winning novel, The Old Man and the Sea was published (1952) …the wreck of the Titanic was discovered […]
Episode 001: Tim McKenna / UK To Istanbul, The Calder Valley, CTC Birthday Rides, The Cycle Touring Festival
UK to Istanbul, the Calder Valley of Yorkshire, ‘Along The Med…’, CTC Birthday Rides, Cycle Touring Festival.
Cycling In The Picos De Europa, Spain
I went walking in the Picos De Europa back in 2007 and they are certainly a spectacular range of mountains in northern Spain. Here’s a good blog post from ‘Reading, Running, Cycling‘ about attempting them on two wheels… A few years ago, I watched the whole of the […]
Coming To An Ear Near You: 1.9.17
Only four days to go… A monthly digest of news, interviews, reports, rides, readings, features… from the people behind CyclingEurope.org. If you think you might have something to contribute, please get in touch. Whether you’ve embarked on an epic ride or simply decided to to get back into […]
‘Spain To Norway On A Bike Called Reggie’: The Score So Far…
“You should read this book. It is a wonderful tale of a bicycle journey…” So says Tom Ivar Horvei in a review of Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie in a review just published on Goodreads, the respected literary review site, where the book is currently […]
I Don’t Have To Cycle Up Everest…
Here is a post from Rachel Cullen’s website. She’s a runner but has caught the bug for cycling… For anyone who knows the Calder Valley (as I do), the hills she refers to will be familiar. I feel her pain!
THIS WEEK: Cycle To Work Day – 13th September 2017
It’s back: will you pledge? You can do so here. Here’s what the organisers have to say: Cycle to Work Day, the annual event encouraging workers across the UK to take to two wheels for their commute, will celebrate its 5th anniversary this September 13th. The event invites […]
Episode 000: Does The World Need Another Cycling Podcast?
Does the world need another cycling podcast? We are about to find out…
What Is The CyclingEurope.org Podcast?
What is the CyclingEurope.org Podcast? Here’s your answer. Over to, err… me: Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes or listen on the Awesound website.
Maxine Dodd’s Vuelta A España
Hola! This year’s Tour of Spain got underway last weekend with a really absorbing Team Time Trial in the ancient city of Nîmes. My first image is of the team with the magical name ‘Sunweb’ – They put in a great performance, but lost out to eventual stage […]
Pilot Episode
A sample from the soon-to-be-launched Cycling Europe Podcast. The full podcast which includes reports and interviews from across the world of cycling, adventure and travel is published on September 1st (and every first of the month thereafter!).
TODAY: Up The Buttress!
Here’s a cycling event with a difference: ‘Up The Buttress…’. The buttress in question is a steep, cobbled 365 metre lane from Hebden Bridge in the direction of Heptonstall in the Calder Valley of Yorkshire. In the words of the organisers: “£10 to attempt the Buttress, then your […]
10 Things To Know About… La Vuelta A España
After this year’s visit to see the Tour de France and my ever-growing enthusiasm for the Tour de Yorkshire, I feel I should know the other big ‘classic’ races better than I do. Yesterday saw the start of La Vuelta, Spain’s grand tour, so I’ve just given myself […]
How Electric Bikes Have Changed the World
A guest post by Alexa Cobb Whether you’ve seen someone riding down the street on one or you’ve read about them in a magazine, electric bikes are becoming a popular phenomenon. For some, an electric bike enables them to get to work without needing a shower when they […]
Cycling The Calder Valley: The Audio Documentary
The observant amongst you will notice that, on September 1st, the first CyclingEurope.org podcast will be unleashed into the world! It is still very much a work-in-progress but I’ve decided to share with you a snippet (well, it’s a 15 minute long ‘snippet’ that will probably be trimmed […]
The Queensbury (Cycling?) Tunnel
CyclingEurope.org has just received a bit of a makeover… and what better way to mark the event than an initiative that seeks to reinvent a disused railway tunnel into something that could benefit generations of future cyclists: The Queensbury Tunnel. This website has seen how disused railway infrastructure […]
The CTC ‘Birthday’ Rides: Moreton-in-Marsh
It’s a tradition that dates back many years – nearly 50 I think – and is held every August in a different location over the course of a week. Around 500 members of Cycling UK (although these guys hang on to the original name, the CTC) pay a […]
Coming Soon: The CyclingEurope.org Podcast…
Dordogne: The Velocast Podcast
A few weeks ago, as the Tour de France made its way across the French countryside, I had the opportunity of visiting the Dordogne region of France courtesy of the organisers of the Tour de Yorkshire, Welcome to Yorkshire. If this is news to you (or you have […]
Yorkshire… And Cambridgeshire(!) Day: LIVE
12:33am: Talk went very well. Good crowd of 30ish. It’s been a long day. Another two hours until home… Goodnight from Leicester Forest East. 5:55pm: Bicycles and… err… cows: 5:45pm: Business on the Cam is brisk. Well, there seem to be lots of punters… (I’ll get my coat…) […]
Spain To Norway: The Road.cc Verdict
Don’t believe any author, actor, painter, candlestick-maker… who says they don’t read their reviews. Of course they do. They then just deny it so as to sound self-deprecating. However, perhaps because of the long road along which I have pedalled both literally as well as metaphorically to becoming […]
‘Sportive’: The Linguistics, The Ride…
Updated 31/7/17 – Scroll to bottom for a few notes about ‘audax’ On the day of perhaps Britain’s largest and most well-known sportive – the Prudential Ride London – a few reflections about language. As a French speaker I know the meaning of the word ‘sportive‘ in its […]
The Double Tragedy Of The Transcontinental Race
Here’s a sad tale. The Transcontinental Race is described as follows: “Race from Flanders to Istanbul via checkpoints at some of cycling’s most iconic locations and Europe’s historic landmarks. The route you take is up to you but will be at least 2500 miles of riding and some […]
In Praise Of… Warmshowers (2)
I joined Warmshowers – the cycle touring community’s accommodation sharing website – over 7 years ago but after finishing my last long trip in 2015 and moving up to Yorkshire, things went quiet. In Reading – in the Thames Valley – I was en route to London from […]
The Cycle Touring Festival: Regional Gatherings
I’ve just spotted this on the Cycle Touring Festival twitter feed… Over to you Laura! Regional Gatherings [Read the original post here] The best thing about the Cycle Touring Festival is the chance to spend time with like-minded people. The worst thing is that it only happens once […]
Crossing Europe On A Bike Called… Maggie?
Hang on! Isn’t this my territory???? There I was thinking I had cornered the market in crossing Europe on a bike called anything – I’ve done it three times don’t you know – but I read today that the hirsute Sean Conway is muscling in on my niche! […]
“An inspiration To Me And… Other Cycle Tourists”
I have spent much of my time in the last few months marketing the new book, Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie (there I go again…), and, perhaps as a result, there has been renewed interest in books one and two. A new review appeared yesterday […]
The Cycling Films Of Barry Godin
When posting this morning’s video about the snail on his little adventure across my back yard towards the bin (I haven’t seen him since by the way so he could have made it over the wall, across the field and into the jaws of a passing crow by […]
The Snail’s Morning Adventure
One of those ‘nothing to do with cycling’ posts but this little guy was off on an adventure around the bin this morning so I thought I’d make him famous…
Cycling In Paris: Not Just For The Pros…
Here’s a post from the summer of 2015 as I travelled across Europe from southern Spain to northern Norway including a wobbly cycle up the Champs Elysées, somewhat slower – see the video – than today’s professionals in the Tour de France. Read the full story in Spain […]
When Yorkshire Met The Dordogne… And The Tour De France
As this year’s Tour rolls into Paris for its final étape, a longer post that you normally find in this corner of the Internet reflecting upon my visit to France last week with Welcome To Yorkshire to witness stages 10 and 11 of the Tour de France 2017. […]
Frank Burns: Ballysadare-Sligo-Dromahair – 50km
I met Frank at the Cycle Touring Festival in May. He was good company and he has written extensively about cycling on his own website. Here is the latest installment of his current trip around Ireland. Worth a read.
Maxine Dodd’s Tour De France
Maxine has featured here before and, with the theme of the week being the Tour de France, I see no reason not to share another of her rather beautiful posts. More available on her own site. Hello! Another scene from this lovely stage – this time showing team […]
Spain To Norway On A Bike Called Reggie: ‘Travel Writing… At Its Very Best’
I read the review for Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie that I have copied and pasted below whilst sitting in my car outside the Meltham branch of Morrisons en route home from my few days in the Dordogne visiting the Tour de France (see previous posts). […]
The Brooksbank Cycling Open Day
It’s here again; a chance to cycle around the cycling track in Elland. Here’s what happened last year:
Le Tour 2017: Stage 11 – Le Départ, Eymet
Kittel won the day, again, but here’s the build up in Eymet as the cyclists, their bikes, the crowds and the media – me included – prepared for the off…
Le Tour 2017: Live (Almost) From The Ligne D’Arrivée
Well, CyclingEurope.org has rarely been closer to the action. Today we are at the arrival line of stage 10 of the Tour de France in Bergerac. More updates later (although let’s face it, you might find out who won more quickly by watching ITV4…)
The Dordogne (On Tour De France Rest Day)
A selection of photos to keep you going. I’ll write up when home.
Evening In Bergerac
Bienvenue En France, A Bergerac Et Au Tour De France 2017!
It’s taken nine years of blogging, over 2,500 blog posts, 20,000 kilometres of cycling around Europe and three (rather good) books… but I’ve finally been invited on an all-expenses tour of a foreign land. The land in question is the Dordogne region of France and earlier this afternoon […]
En Roue Libre: Le Festival Du Voyage A Vélo
One for the francophones (& filmmakers – see below): “Le samedi 17 mars 2018, le GRACQ de Watermael-Boitsfort propose aux amoureux de la petite reine une journée entièrement dédiée aux voyages à vélo. Les projections de films vous feront découvrir qu’ici ou ailleurs, seul(e), en famille ou entre […]
6th July 2014, Côte De Greetland, Elland, Yorkshire
Very often when you look back upon events of the past, they seem to have happened only very recently when in fact they took place many years ago. I have the opposite sensation about the 6th July 2014 as the events of that particularly momentous day appear (in […]
Cycling The World, Again, Phileas Fogg Style
Long-term followers of the website – and I mean very long-term as in those who were here at the start back in August 2008 – may remember one person getting more column inches on this blog than any other. He was first mentioned in this post and this […]
‘…On A Bike Called Reggie’: The Complete Collection
Signed copies of the new book – ‘Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie’ – as well as the first two books – ‘Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie‘ and ‘Along The Med on a Bike Called Reggie‘ – are available for £15 per book, two books […]
The Speaking Tour, Continued
It was Ireland last weekend and England this weekend: London and York. Thanks to David Hibbs and all at Blue Door Bicycles in Crystal Palace and all at The York Rally. A long but interesting and enjoyable 2 days! More dates to come in August and September (and […]
Lismore And The Immrama Festival Of Travel Writing
My cycle along the Waterford Greenway – see previous post – was inspired by my visit to the Lismore Immrama Festival of Travel Writing where I had been asked to give a talk. A more friendlier and welcoming bunch of people it would be hard to find and […]
The Waterford Greenway, Ireland
Here’s the visual story of my day cycling along the Waterford Greenway in Ireland last week. It was certainly Waterford and it was certainly green… I had camped in Dungarvan – my destination at the southern end of the Greenway – on Thursday night… …and a friendly […]
The Cycle Touring Festival – 2017 Edition
Notes From Ireland: The Waterford Cycleway
Tried to write this on Friday evening but the WordPress app chose to freeze once I’d finished and my efforts were lost. Second time lucky, hopefully. No images for the time being as the iPhone cameras – back and front – are kaput. The usual remedies have failed […]
Notes From Ireland: Home To Dungarvan
And these really are notes. The plan is to write up an article about my four days in Ireland (for publication?) once back in the U.K. Early start / tiresome drive across Lancashire-Cheshire / North Wales much nicer / echos of the French Riviera (sea, hills, fast corniche […]
The ‘Spain to Norway’ Tour Continues
Spain to Norway… Only £6.99!
On past experience this won’t last long but… at the moment (Saturday 10th June, 9am) Amazon.co.uk are selling Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie for just £6.99. Perhaps they want to celebrate my birthday! Be quick!
Election Night… 2015!
It’s election night… 2015. I was in a very pretty portion of western France en route from Tarifa to Nordkapp cycling along La Vélo Francette that was part of the 7,776 km journey that would eventually become Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie. It was cycling […]
Ireland: Talking Travel… And Cycling
I’m off on my travels again next week to a new (for me) European country… Ireland! More specifically I’ll be speaking at the Lismore Immrama Festival of Travel Writing – more details on the poster below – on Saturday 17th June at 12.30pm. If you happen to be […]
General Election 2017: The Manifestos And Cycling
To save you looking, here are the results of a little piece of research that I’ve just completed. I searched for the word ‘cycling’ in each of the main manifestos: Conservative Party Manifesto 0 mentions… Labour Party Manifesto 1 mention… Liberal Democrat Manifesto 1 mention… UKIP 0 mentions… […]
Bike Week: The Film
There is a theme developing here… The second film of the day, this time from Cycling UK (yes, the CTC as was) promoting Bike Week: Bike Week is an annual opportunity to get out and enjoy yourselves cycling. Run by the world’s oldest transport organisation and membership charity, […]
Cycle Lane: The Film
It’s Monday morning, 8am. You may be off to work (you may even have had a week off over half-term and not really in the mood for working…). Watch this: “The film is a comedy about a man trying to get to his job interview who has a […]
‘Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie’: The First Reviews…
Now back home after my travels to Clitheroe, London, Reading, Oxford, Bath and Bristol over half-term (it was lovely seeing so many of you in Clitheroe, Oxford and Bristol by the way – thanks for coming to hear me speak – more events coming up in June, July […]
The Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol
Nothing to do with cycling or Europe but some things are so aesthetically pleasing that they deserve to be photographed from any angle going. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is one such object and it has earned its place here, despite its irrelevance to the site… I’ll hopefully see […]
Bath Time
A leisurely stroll around beautiful Bath en route to Bristol for my talk tomorrow evening (see apsykes.com/speaking for details). Some great sights: Seeing the touring cyclist made me regret not having arrived by bicycle myself…
The Cycle Touring Festival 2017
Clitheroe has been home once again to the 2017 Cycle Touring Festival… …with a good selection of bikes – very much used – on display… …some quality talks… …and a wonderful sunrise over the campsite!
Spain To Norway… In English, En Français, Auf Deutsch
One for the linguists… I’m delighted to say that the European Cyclists’ Federation – the people in charge of the EuroVelos – have published an interview with me on their website; in English, in French and in German! “He did it again! Over the past few years, Andrew […]
The Valleys Of West Yorkshire: Home To Ilkley
And a few videos:
