What have I been reading?

I’ve not been exercising a lot in the last couple of weeks, which has given me plenty of time to read. The main thing that I’ve been reading is The man who cycled the world by Mark Beaumont. I’m not revealing any spoilers by saying that it’s an autobiographical account of one man’s bike ride that takes him around the globe. It was a good blend of travelogue (with interesting descriptions of people, places and food) with sporting biography. I felt I could empathise with the physical aches and pains of repeated long-distance bike rides. (4 long days on Tour de Y was enough for me!) A four-part BBC documentary was made to accompany the book, so I plan to watch it very soon. I’ve also just seen this very short video about Mark’s latest adventure:

Other good reads

Here are some other articles that I’ve been reading:

• Running with the Amish – this is a lengthy article written by Bart Yasso. I found it absolutely fascinating. It’s interesting that Mennonite and Amish runners are doing so well. I agree with the overall conclusion that it’s probably down to their generally healthy lifestyle factors (plenty of sleep, less time wasted on surfing the internet etc, lots of exercise and wholesome food) rather than any specific genetic traits.
• Italy: Town pays people to cycle to work – I LOVE this idea. It wouldn’t earn me much money, but it would be nice if I made enough to pay for servicing and my secure cycle parking at work.
• Rwanda’s female cycling phenom redefining womanhood and a nation. There just aren’t enough articles about high-profile female cyclists because not enough people see women’s cycling as being worthy of an article. This is a great read as it let me know about a rising star who I hadn’t heard of before.

I’ve also just finished reading ‘A year of living Danishly’ (humorous autobiographical account of life in a foreign country). I need to read ‘Before I go to sleep’ for my book club next week, but after those, I’ll be on the hunt for some new reading material.

What can you recommend for me? I love autobiographies and other books about sports history, but am willing to try anything!