Miles from Nowhere

February 7, 2020

Originally published in 1985, this book has stood the test of time and is considered a classic of biking literature. It takes an author like Savage to captivate readers in a way that makes them feel as if they are pedaling right along with her and husband Larry Savage. The couple spent two years biking through 25 European, African, and Asian countries, traveling over 23,000 miles, graduating from novice riders to hardened road warriors. Ironically, the conditions today in many of the countries they biked through in the late 1970s either have not improved or have remained the same. Readers should know that the author was tragically hit and killed by a car soon after concluding this grand adventure while training on her bike for a triathlon just before the original work was published. While this edition offers a new foreword and an interview with widower Larry, the advanced copy did not contain the maps or pictures of the first book. VERDICT A must-have for all libraries without a copy of the original, especially those with active biking communities seeking entertaining adventure stories. Savage also provides practical touring advice relevant to any bike traveler.--John N. Jax, Univ. of Wisconsin Lib., La Crosse

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