Two Wheels on my Wagon

Jan 12, 2025 3:08 AM

Author:Paul Howard

As bicycle races go, the attractions of the Tour Divide are not immediately apparent. For a start, it is the longest mountain-bike race in the world, running nearly 3,000 miles down the Rockies from Canada to Mexico. But the distance is not the only challenge - the total ascent of 200,000 ft is the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest nearly seven times.

Then there are the dangerous animals likely to be encountered on the route: grizzly bears, mountain lions and wolves, not to mention rattlesnakes and tarantulas. Worse, the rewards for all this effort are strictly limited. Unlike in the Tour de France, there is no fabled yellow jersey and no prize money.

Yet, undaunted, and in spite of never having owned a mountain bike, Paul Howard signed up. Battling the worst weather for generations, drinking whiskey with a cowboy and singing karaoke with the locals, Howard's journey turned into more than just a race - it became the adventure of a lifetime.

Reviews

Equal to the heroics of Le Tour, with extremes of weather, sleeping rough in toilets and gorging on blueberry pies in diners which provide the only grub hundreds of miles apart on this epic

—— London Cyclist

Tarrant's poignant story is wonderfully refreshing and beautifully told

—— The Sun

A fantastic story of the underdog

—— Metro

Makes fascinating reading

—— Manchester Evening News

Bill Jones used to make documentaries, and he retains that discipline's eye for telling details and evocative shots

—— The Times

An astounding story

—— The Independent

A remarkable story

—— Sport

A grimly compelling account

—— The Observer

Jones has unearthed and told quite brilliantly the tragic story of a man condemned not only be authority but also by his own stubbornness

—— Sunday Times

Moving

—— Sunday Express

[Moore] entertainingly unravels the complexities of the relationships within the peloton

—— Richard Williams , Guardian

One of Bike Radar’s favourite books of the past 12 months

—— Bike Radar

Moore unearths a dazzling array of detail through interviews and anecdotes, telling a tale that holds suspense even for those who know the ultimate outcome of this epic battle. As racing books go, Moore’s book just might be “the greatest ever"

—— Kent Petersen , Outside Magazine

The measure of a great book is a great start.Richard Moore’s introductory anecdote in Slaying the Badger set a new standard in cycling literature

—— Cycle Sport

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