WINTER READING LIST.

Can’t ride? Escape with one of these.

Mountain to Mountain.

A journey of adventure and activism for the women of Afghanistan. Shannon Galpin

A humbling read, for those of us who can put on a tank top and fly down the road on our bicycles. In this memoir, Shannon Galpin (honored by National Geographic magazine as an Adventurer of the Year in 2013 for her work in Afghanistan) shares the experience of what it takes to ride a bike and organize a woman’s cycling team in a place where women lack the freedom to ride a bicycle. Filled with the highs and lows of harrowing encounters, exhilarating rides and fascinating people, it grips you from start to finish and provides a peek at what’s going on under the head scarves.

I was fortunate to get to hear Shannon speak at a gathering/book signing at Green Bay Cycles in Illinois. Shannon is truly inspiring and a wonderful cycling ambassador for women of the world. Pick up a hard cover copy (or Kindle) of Mountain to Mountain here.

Twenty Thousand Miles to See a Tree.

An around the world Bicycle Journey. Cindie Cohagen.

What an audacious thing to do–go explore the entire world by bike (not surprisingly, she used Terry saddles). Read this interview-style book for the answers to practical questions for all bike-venture seekers. In her eight-year exploration of different destinations, cultures and religions, Cindie shares both her external and internal journeys in vivid detail. Available digitally in kindle here.

A Bike Tour in Myanmar.

A guidebook to nudge you down the road. Judy Bartlett, Liz Montgomery

The perfect motivator for planning an exotic bike adventure. Not only is it fun to read about two middle-aged women on a tandem navigating their way through Burma, but they provide great guidance and support for others to do the same. Available digitally for Kindle here.

Wheelmen

Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever. Reed Albergotti, Vanessa O’Connell

We know, we know – enough of this already. However, this book is stay-up-all-night riveting. Published late last year and superbly written by two Wall Street Journal reporters, it is an absolute page-turner about the world of bike racing and the incredible lengths that Armstrong and his host of conspirators went to in deceiving us all. Now available in paperback and NOOK Book.