Part-Time Nomads: Traveling the World by Bicycle
Anne M. Breedlove | Alive Publishing 316p, trade paper, $33.95, ISBN 978-1-631-32203-7
Compiled from entertaining anecdotes and personal photographs, Breedlove’s debut recounts her transformation from a recreational cyclist to world bicycler with her husband Jim. The couple’s interest was initially sparked from an advertisement in Bicycling magazine for self-guided tours in France and exploded from there: before long, the middle-aged parents had traveled through three countries and seven states, including New Zealand and France, over the course of 10 years. That transformative journey brought out the best and the worst in the pair, starkly highlighting their differences (Breedlove describes herself as a “noisy, busy, pushy extrovert” who plans every detail, while the more introverted Jim prefers to go with the flow) and uniting them as international travelers.
Cycling enthusiasts will relish Breedlove’s discourse on their tours, including location choosing to packing supplies to handling the inevitable bumps in the road (trying to manage tent camping on a windy beach and navigating the intimidating “He-Man motorcycle territory” on
Spouse cyclists rediscover the world together.
bicycles are standouts). The couple’s inexperience threatens to overwhelm in many instances: a ranger warns of an impending storm that immediately changes their plans; when following San Joaquin Valley’s Mendota Canal, they’re forced to portage gear over locked gates; and not researching trip elevations ahead of time makes their travels exponentially more difficult.
Despite the learning curve, both Breedlove and her husband find the journey breathtaking, each in their own way, as Jim declares “Actually, cycling has little to do with bicycles for me. It has to do with being on our own, homeless in a strange place, between places, moving forward.” That free spirit drives their adventures, whether they’re hitchhiking in France or visiting the Vartry House, the “Highest Pub in Ireland.” Travel fans may wish for more particulars on the globetrotting portions, as the book is heavily weighted to Breedlove’s stateside tours, but, still, this is a bird’s-eye view of rediscovering the world at a slower pace.
Cover: B | Design & typography: A | Illustrations: A Editing: A- | Marketing copy: B