When Lannoo Publishers sent Bike Life to us for review, they slipped in the book ‘Epic Bike Rides’ in the Dutch translation. This book originally published by Lonely Planet (you know the people behind those highly acclaimed travel guides) is available in different languages: English, French, German, Dutch and probably a couple of other languages too. It’s part of an “Epic” series of books that Lonely Planet has been putting out the last couple of years aimed at adventurers out there. There’s not only the book on cycling, but there are books on epic walks, surf-spots and running trails.

The book is a follow-up to a book that has been around for quite a while called “Epic Bike Rides of the world”. I already went through its pages a couple of times in a bookstore, though it could never fully convince me. It felt like it was an older publication wrapped in a cover artwork to be sold as a new book. Luckily Epic Bike Rides Europe is a different story. This book actually feels and reads as a new publication with up-to date content and connected with how cycling adventures have been developing in the last couple of years.

Lonely Planet clearly had a vision with this new book. They recruited some familiar names from the adventure cycling scene to contribute as authors: Emily Chappell, founder of The Adventure Syndicate, Stefan Amato from Pannier CC, Cass Gilbert from Bikepacking.com, Max Leonard from Isola Press and ultra-cyclists like Lael Wilkockx and Lee Craigie. These authors clearly left a mark on the content of this book, without intending to say that this is the new adventure cycling bible. The content of the book is rather diverse, from Pub Rides in Berlin over the High Land 550 in Scotland to the Megavalanche at Alpe D’Huez.

Well, that’s quite a leap between those 3, right? And that brings us exactly to why you will like or dislike the book. If you’re a person who has a broad take on cycling, being it on dirt or on tarmac, you will definitely like this book. If you’re more a “I like my cycling this way” kind of person you will probably skip many pages in the book. I personally enjoyed the book because its open-minded approach to cycling despite its sometimes “travel-guide-ish” look and feel. I like to take one of my bikes with me everywhere I go and some days that pub-ride is what I want, ride my bike through the city and slam some beers. While other days, I just might go for that Trans Slovenia, ride up the Colle delle Finestre or take my Road Bike and ride in pro cyclists’ tire tracks on the Tro Bro Léon course.

You should consider this book mainly as a guide. Let’s say you go on a holiday somewhere in the North of Spain, pull the book out and check if there are any great rides in the area. You want to go on a self-supported bicycle trip next summer, browse the book’s pages and you will end up somewhere you have always dreamed of. I think the book leaves no region in Europe uncovered. That said, you will still have to do a lot of research, because despite the book’s comprehensiveness as to the European continent, there’s not much venturing into details. What you do get is a whole load of inspiration, paired with some cycling history and novelty sidenotes. We don’t rate books at Wildhood but we must say that we enjoyed the read. Since it is December, this one could be a perfect Christmas gift for many a cyclist

Words: Philippe Michiels

Images: courtesey of Lonely Planet