Miles from Nowhere

A Round-the-World Bicycle Adventure

by Foreword by

352 pages
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
ISBN: 978-1-68051-036-2
Published: Feb 10, 2020

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Description

Miles from Nowhere is the story of Barbara and Larry Savage’s sometimes dangerous, often zany, but ultimately rewarding 23,000-mile bicycle odyssey, which took them through 25 countries in two years. Along the way, these near-neophyte cyclists on their ten-speeds encountered warm-hearted strangers eager to share food and shelter, bicycle-hating drivers who ran them off the road, various wild animals (including an attack camel), rock-throwing Egyptians, overprotective Thai policeman, motherly New Zealanders, meteorological disasters, bodily indignities, and great personal joys. The stress of traveling together constantly tested yet strengthened the young couple's relationship and as their trip ends, you'll find yourself yearning for Barbara and Larry to jump back on their bikes and keep pedaling.

Originally published in 1983, Miles from Nowhere has provided inspiration for legions of modern travel-adventurers and writers.

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Foreword by

Details

352 pages
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
ISBN: 978-1-68051-036-2
Published: Feb 10, 2020

Reviews

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. 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.
— Library Journal
Inspiring--a masterpiece of bike-travel literature!
— Claude Marthaler
As with much of the best travel writing, it’s the voice that makes readers want to stick with a writer over a long journey, and Barbara Savage’s voice is that of the best kind of travelling companion: honest, unpretentious, brave, and funny. She talks frankly about challenging aspects of cycle-touring, especially couples cycle-touring, that are usually played for laughs or omitted altogether from these kinds of books. The petty fights in the ditch, the unabashed yelling, the temper-tantrums. But she also describes the small acts of kindness, the making up, and the profound intimacy of living within a few feet of one’s partner for most of over two years. The passages where she casually mentions ‘lovemaking’ (how 70s!) in their tiny tent are utterly disarming. In another writer’s hands, they’d be corny, but not Barb’s. The magic of this book is how, in her telling, the Savages come across not so much as cyclists or adventurers but as genuine human beings—adventurous, vulnerable, yet resilient—who happen to be riding bicycles.
— Dave Buchanan
I cried until I laughed, and laughed until I cried at Barbara Savage’s gorgeously written story of her cycling tour with her husband, Larry. Miles from Nowhere is the best of the best, a grand exploration of the world and its people by two wildly adventurous hearts in love with each other and life itself.
— Gail Storey
I read Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage in 2010 while on my own bike tour across America, which I think says at least something about how good it is—that I still felt like reading about biking even after I’d ridden a couple thousand miles. It’s another book that’s great because of both the writing and the scale of the adventure it captures.
— Brendan Leonard
A long, long time ago, I read this book and went straight out and bought myself a $250 Specialized bicycle and started my first bicycle tour. Changed my life. I came home and wrote a book about the experience and gave credit where credit was due: Barbara and Larry Savage inspired me, giving me the courage for that first step. A lifetime has now passed, but Barbara’s words are still fresh to me, as stirring, thrilling, and humorous as the first time I read them. Many things may have changed since their round-the-world journey, but our human hopes and fears haven’t. We are all so much richer for preserving the gift Barbara left us, Miles from Nowhere.
— Andrew X. Pham
A valuable reissue, reminding us all about the joys (and sometimes sorrows) of seeing the world by bike.
— Susan Spano
If there’s a timeless intimacy to be found in long-term bike touring, then it’s multiplied by Barbara Savage’s words. She takes us along on her two-year adventure and instantly we are her trusted companions. As we ride with Barbara, she doesn’t waste time romanticizing the landscape or looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. Instead, she gifts us the privilege of her honesty. And with that, we lucky readers gain a window into the struggle, triumphs, and laugh-out-loud moments of human-powered travel in unexpected places. It’s no surprise that Miles From Nowhere has lived on these past 30-plus years and inspired others to take to the road on two wheels. In these pages, Barbara lives on, too. I’m left with the unshaken belief that there’s real, unfiltered life to be found out there, and, perhaps most importantly, true kindness.
— Gale Straub
From the swampy Everglades to the snowy Himalayas, Barbara’s love of travel shines through. If you enjoy pedal-to-the-metal adventure, you’ll find it here.
— Rick Steves
Told with grit and good humor, this charming travelogue is a testament to why it's worth hitting the road--whether on a bicycle, or through the pages of a book.
— Kate Harris