Harbouring a desire to ride round the world Alastair Humphreys had saved and planned it for ages, and at the age of 24 he was ready to leave. Or was he? Huge doubts had set in and he was worrying about all sorts of things, but he took the plunge and set off to the continent. As the days passed through Europe, confidence grew and after a couple of weeks cycling he was approaching Istanbul, and the prospect of leaving Europe and moving into Asia. Then the September 11th attacks happened. This changed everything and made the route through Iran, and Afghanistan he’d had in mind, untenable. Instead he had to turn right and pedal through a tense middle east and head into the wild lands of Africa.

So begins the first part of Humphreys global journey. It is well written account of his ride and encounters with the people of each country he passes through. Almost exclusively he finds that people are friendly and welcoming, bar the odd one or two, and even though he was strongly advised not to ride some of the countries, he takes a risk. He writes with an open heart and he tells us the moments where he is at his lowest ebb and his moments of elation. Overall a very enjoyable read; looking forward to the second half soon. ( )

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