Lone Rider
Author: Elspeth Beard
Genre: Autobiography
Released: 2017
Rating:
In 1982, at twenty-three years old, Elspeth Beard left London on a 1974 BMW motorcycle and rode 35,000 miles around the world alone. With almost no money and no safety net, she crossed war zones, survived brutal accidents, and endured constant harassment — all before mobile phones or GPS existed. A remarkable memoir about endurance, freedom, and the connections forged on the road. Equal parts adventure story and quiet meditation on what it means to push against the limits others set for you.
Blimey. What a fantastic book Lone Rider is. As many people who read this blog will know, I'm a keen motorcyclist, so this book appealed to me as soon as I saw it recommended on Mastodon.
But the book isn't about motorbikes. Sure, Elspeth's trusty BMW plays a central role in the book, but it's not about the bike. I don't even think the book is about the trip. For me, it's about the people she met along the way and the connections she made.
I also think that traveling alone, in some of the most dangerous places on earth in the early 80s, as a woman, gives a unique insight to the challenges many women face, even today. I was particularly shocked at how Elspeth described being teated effectively like a piece of meat a number of times. The frequency at which it occurred and her nonchalant reaction to the behaviour blew me away. "It's just another leery man, doing what they do" was the impression I came away with.
Lone Rider is chock-full of the highs and lows Elspeth went though, there's a love story, tragedy, and everything in between. Maybe it's the fact that I've been reading a lot of sci-fi lately, but this was the best book I've read in a long time.
Read it.
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