Andrew Bowie

Andrew’s Blog:

  • Be careful where you take a toilet break on a cycle tour

    Catherine Pringle, the protagonist in Peloton of Two, has been commissioned to write a series of confessional journalism articles and blog posts about her journey around France. In the extract below, she explores the pressing problem of finding the right place for a toilet break when you’re on a tandem tour, and why she is…

  • Catherine, Nick and the tandem arrive in Brittany

    In this scene, which is not included in the final version of Peloton of Two, Catherine Pringle is standing on the deck of an overnight ferry as it approaches Roscoff harbour. She has just spent a sleepless night below deck after her first exhausting day on a tandem. (The hours awake in her bunk did…

  • How to plan a cycling accident

    Accidents have a nasty habit of happening when you least expect them to. It’s true of life in general, but even more of a risk when you’re travelling by bicycle. I wouldn’t wish a cycling accident on anyone, and especially not on anyone who has just begun an adventure like a long-distance cycle tour. But…

  • Quotes about travel, and about cycling

    Quotes about travel, and about cycling

    There are many inspiring quotes about travel, and about cycling. The two lists below are some of my favourites.

  • Researching the route around France for Peloton of Two

    One of the early pleasures of the research phase for Peloton of Two was creating an interesting route for the characters in the novel to take on their journey around France.

  • Catherine Pringle’s laws of cycle touring

    Catherine Pringle’s laws of cycle touring

    Like any new cycle tourist, Catherine Pringle quickly begins to obsess about the detail of long-distance travel by bicycle. On her first day in France she begins to codify her experience into her own laws of cycle touring. It’s the only way she can make sense of what’s happening to her as she struggles through…