THE WIND AT MY BACK
PAUL MAUNDER, BLOOMSBURY SPORT, £16.99 (HB)
Truth be told, I wasn’t looking forward to reading this book. Judging by its cover, it was simply the latest release looking to cash in on cycling’s current popularity. And the first chapter did nothing to change my mind.
The second chapter did, however, and from there on The Wind at My Back builds into something that’s far more compelling than one man’s recollections of a life spent riding. It’s about cycling but only tenuously. Cycling’s there purely to get things rolling and although it often reappears, the book generally follows a reflective, meandering path through the landscapes that have shaped Paul Maunder’s life and work. Landscapes plural, because The Wind at
my Back is not exclusively about the British countryside. Much time is spent in villages around Oxford, in the Chilterns and in Norwich but there are also diversions into London’s suburbs, its centre and the mountains of France.
Maunder’s point is that these places and the efforts required to pedal through them, exercise your imagination as well as your body. The exertion, although monotonous, disintegrates the constant chatter of your conscious mind, allowing your unconscious self to wander. In Maunder’s case this leads to musings on the nature of inspiration, fear, the parallels between cycling and love (both can provide pleasure and pain in equal and overwhelming measure) and mid-life crises.
There may be more moments of recognition for cyclists here but anyone with a love of landscapes and a contemplative nature will find a lot to like in this book.