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Cycling to the Ashes: A Cricketing Odyssey From London to Brisbane [Hardcover]

Oli Broom (Author)

4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)

RRP:	�16.99
Price:	�13.59 & FREE Delivery in the UK. Details
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Book Description

Release Date: 4 July 2013

One man, one bike, two Mongoose cricket bats, one tropical disease, 16,000 miles and a lot of dead kangaroos …

Oli Broom loves cricket. So much so that in 2009 he left his 9 to 5 in London and set off to cycle to Brisbane for the Ashes. Along the way he played cricket in the shadow of the Blue Mosque, slept in a goat pen in Sudan, dodged a 5-metre crocodile in the outback, battled mountains in sub-zero temperatures in Bulgaria and successfully negotiated the treacherous highways of India.

Starring the colourful characters he met on his travels, this is a funny and poignant tale for anyone who’s ever dreamt of jacking in the day job to embark on an incredible adventure.

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One man, one bike, two Mongoose cricket bats, one tropical disease, 16,000 miles and a lot of dead kangaroos …

Starring the colourful characters he met on his travels, this is a funny and poignant tale for anyone who’s ever dreamt of jacking in the day job to embark on an incredible adventure.

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Product details

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Yellow Jersey (4 July 2013)
Language: Unknown
ISBN-10: 0224091875
ISBN-13: 978-0224091879
Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.4 x 2 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 190,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #86 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Australia & New Zealand > Australia

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Product Description

Review

"Oli Broom loves cricket so much he cycled from Lord's to Sydney to watch the Ashes. His book is rather marvellous" (Stephen Fry)

"Much more than a world cycle tour ... brilliant" (All Out Cricket)

"An epic adventure" (Bear Grylls)

"I think it's pathetic he isn't cycling home again" (Ian Botham)

"Completely potty" (Aggers)

Book Description

An epic roadtrip from London to Australia by bike - all for the love of cricket.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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4.9 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling 4 July 2013

By Annabel Edmed

Format:Hardcover

It's taken me a little over 48 hours to read this new book - absolutely brilliant and could not put it down.

There is lots of cricket chat as you'd expect (i learnt a lot of incredibly intersting things as a non-cricketer) but what had me hooked was the experiences the writer went through, the amazing people he met along the way, the humility he shows throughout his journey and his un-rivalled perseverance.

Not just for cricket and travel lovers - everyone should read this book!!

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and fascinating adventure travelogue 8 July 2013

By Bookshopbird

Format:Hardcover

I loved this book. Oli's journey on two wheels from London to Brisbane is clearly complete madness but he writes about it brilliantly. He has a great sense of humour about the bizarre places and situations he finds himself in and this is balanced with a very honest, open account of what it takes to complete such a journey. It makes you realise that it isn't simply about the amazing places you see or the struggle to get to them but about the kindness of the people you meet on the way. I loved the cricketing anecdotes and tales of the wonderful characters he met on the way - you will laugh and cry, Oli seems to do a lot of both! I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who loves adventure, cricket or cycling - or all three!

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a cracking read 8 July 2013

By thebookworm

Format:Hardcover

A hell of an adventure this guy went on - I feel like jacking in the day job and doing the same, although I'm not sure I'd get beyond the cricket folk of Serbia. Vladimir and Slobodan sound like hilarious characters and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to tear myself away from them.

A cracking read Oli Broom has give us here. I thought it was going to be full of match reports and cricketing statistics but it wasn't at all and is all the better for it. The (often cricketing) characters Oli met on his way in places like Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Sudan, Indonesia and Australia give the narrative some spice and there were clearly times when the author (or rider as he was at the time) felt like giving up, but good on him, he didn't and we, the readers, are the ones who benefit.

The India chapter is a real highlight. He brings the country to life in a charming way and I'll definitely be looking out for his writing elsewhere. Recommend it highly.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly enjoyable read. 1 Sep 2013

By REV HUTTON STEEL

Format:Hardcover|Verified Purchase

If you like cycling, cricket, and travelling then I would heartily recommend this book by Oli Broom. However, if you only like one of the three then I would still warmly endorse this book. What I liked about the book is that the author is not rushing to and fro to complete his journey. It's not a race against the clock type of book. Not does the author make any claims to be a great cyclist. I would imagine however that after completing the journey from London to Brisbane he would certainly know a great deal about long haul pedalling. I particularly liked the way Oli Broom relates his encounters with people. The heart warms when complete strangers in country after country offer food, shelter and friendship. Cricket is played along the way in all weathers and in the most unlikely of locations. The significance of the book for me is that ordinary folk have a goodness which cannot be diminished by the forces applied to them by their circumstances whatever they may be. I will read this book again and again especially when I want to have my faith restored in humanity.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Broom sweeps all other cycling books aside 15 July 2013

By M Broom

Format:Hardcover

Awsome book, great writing, great reading, can't wait for the next one. Cycling to the lions tour in NZ? Oli manages to capture the thrill of venturing into the unknown solo onto paper with breathtaking ease.

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3.0 out of 5 stars (Not) cycling to the Ashes 2 Oct 2014

By Mr. D. R. Goodman

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

I usually like this sort of book, but didn't finish this one. Perhaps it is because the author starts the book by telling you he didn't make it to Brisbane on his bike, which means you are starting the book knowing how it will finish. The accounts of meeting people and dealing with problems en route are fairly standard stuff, but could do in some instances with clearer explanations; for example, when attacked by wild dogs, the account builds up and then peters out - just how close did he come to being mauled and did he have to fight them off or did they just run away when he waved an object at them? It isn't clear, and much of the narrative is like that. In the end the book just wasn't gripping me enough to make me want to go the whole journey (or as far as he got into the journey) with him. Perhaps if he had made it all the way, and I knew that at the beginning, it would have been worthwhile persevering further?

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars For the enthusiast. 18 Sep 2013

By Murray Heslin

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

A superb read! One of those books you battle to put down once you start it becomes a compulsive read.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Owzat for an epic journey? 11 Aug 2013

By Bantam Dave TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I turned fifty a few years ago and I'm reasonably content with my lot but I that can't help musing that when I was young, free and single instead of being chained to an office desk I should have packed my bags and travelled the world. With the gift of hindsight it is all too easy to say what you should have done though, and if I were honest I dare say that if I could live my life again nothing much would change as I would have neither the guts or the self motivation to make such a giant leap into the unknown. In this book though, Oli Broom shows that he had guts, self-motivation and almost certainly a large amount of foolhardiness when he packed up a comfortable job to cycle halfway around the world to see England start their defence of the Ashes in Brisbane, Australia.

The scale of the challenge he set himself was breathtaking. The distance from London to Brisbane is over 16000 miles and he gave himself thirteen months to cycle it; difficult enough for an experienced cyclist but Broom was hardly that, he was a lapsed weekend cyclist at best. His journey would take him across the continents, through many countries and the weather conditions would vary from freezing cold to blistering heat. As he was riding a bike he was limited as to how much he could carry so he couldn't take much warm clothing or bottled water to slake his thirst. He largely rode alone, so there was illness and the loneliness of the long hours on the road to contend with. There were also more visible dangers; the wild dogs of Eastern Europe, enormous crocodiles and even more enormous road-trains in Australia and would all the hundreds of people he would encounter be friendly?

This is an epic book about an epic journey. Read more ›

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5.0 out of 5 stars great Read

A great read and truly entertaining story of his journey, highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good adventure

Published 1 month ago by DF2441