PART-TIME NOMADS

A memoir chronicling a couple’s devotion to long-distance bicycle touring on a global scale.

In 1997, California couple Anne Breedlove and Jim Eldredge were looking for something special to do for their 20th wedding anniversary when Anne came across an advertisement for self-guided cycling tours in southwestern France. Having spent their honeymoon in Europe, the couple decided to return to their beloved France. This time, they’d be riding on two wheels in the beautiful rural Dordogne region. Though neither was an experienced cycle tourer, the intrepid couple plunged into the journey with enthusiasm and returned home determined to make bike touring an integral part of their life together. This is an inspiring and consistently readable remembrance of the couple’s dedication to bike touring, a passion that’s taken them across the globe, from California to France, New Zealand, Hawaii, and other U.S. states including Maine, Arizona, and Idaho. Breedlove’s vivid prose carries readers through harsh but majestic landscapes and describes the physical and psychological toughness needed to successfully traverse such challenging terrain. Breedlove writes that facing unexpected challenges was part of what makes the life of a part-time nomad exciting: “The pacing, the grade, the wind, the distance, the weather—all are unknowns that can take us to our knees in seconds,” the author writes. In their travels, the couple never adopt an overly professional attitude toward cycle touring but simply bask in the sheer enjoyment of seeing the world up close at an 8 mph pace. Luckily, the author spends little time on the geeky minutiae of bicycling gear or long-winded descriptions of rigorous training plans. What comes across instead is a remarkable partnership, with Anne focusing on planning routes and places to stay and Jim handling all forms of bike maintenance and repair. In a book that includes maps of their routes and color photos of their experiences, readers will be swept up in the story of how two middle-aged working professionals managed to create such a deeply satisfying nomadic life.

A delightful account of a marriage transformed into an extraordinary long-distance cycling partnership.