Andrew Bowie

Category: Book related extras

  • What type of cycle tourist is Catherine Pringle?

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    Andrew
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    Two weeks into her tandem journey around France, Catherine Pringle has survived the initial shock of travelling long-distances by bicycle. She is already physically stronger, and had begun to change mentally too. Catherine has, in her own words, ‘stopped being a tourist on a bicycle and begun my transformation into a cycle tourist’. The next…

  • The art of the perfect tandem start

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    Andrew
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    In this extract from her blog, Catherine Pringle explains the steps required for a perfect tandem start. She describes the role that trust plays in the process, and how things can sometimes go badly wrong. Of course, it’s all a ruse to distract attention from the fact that the tandem tour has come to a…

  • The five requirements for champagne cycle touring

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    Andrew
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    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 blog extract below, she lists her essential elements for a perfect cycle journey by bicycle. As she is writing the entry in Epernay, and drinking some…

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

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    Andrew
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    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

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    Andrew
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    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

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    Andrew
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    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…