This Road I Ride

February 22, 2016
In this touching memoir, ultra-endurist cyclist Buhring (Not Without My Sisters) chronicles her journey circumnavigating the world on her bicycle, covering 18,063 miles across 19 countries and four continents. After the death of Henri, an intimate friend and fellow adrenaline seeker, Buhring vows to beat the men’s world record and become the first woman to cycle around the world in less than 165 days. Her first challenge is to win the support of endorsers and convince a trainer that she is capable of setting the new world record—with no prior experience on a bicycle. After eight months of rigorous training and support from friends, Buhring begins her solo journey on her bicycle, Pegasus. With fierce determination, she endures extreme weather and the isolation of being a woman on the road. She charmingly collides with cultural differences and relies on the kindness of strangers. Grappling with her past as an escapee of the Children of God cult, she reflects on overcoming loss and starting from nothing. Buhring is at her best when she describes the rich scenery of the roads, including the desolate plains of Nebraska and the rolling hills of New Zealand. This is an inspirational memoir about the power of one’s undefeatable determination that will appeal to other adrenaline seekers. Unfortunately, in the chapter “Indian Nightmares,” Buhring expresses hostility toward Indian culture in a diatribe that stands in stark contrast to the rest of the book.

Narrator Henrietta Meire's British accent is clear and easy to follow as she keeps the listener engrossed in Juliana Buhring's unique story. Buhring has experienced many hardships in her life, having spent her childhood moving from country to country in a notorious cult, before finally breaking free in her 20s. As a result of her unconventional upbringing, she struggled to find her place in the world, ultimately ending up in Naples, Italy, before deciding to undertake a bicycle trip around the world in order to cope with the death of a man she loved deeply. The accents that Meire provides for people of various nationalities whom Buhring meets throughout her travels occasionally hit the mark but more often are not believable. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine