Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Ride a Motorcycle Around the World

Product Information

From her journal of the trip, her photo archive and long-held memories, Elspeth Beard has recreated that incredible journey in her new book now featured in our Rider’s Library, Lone Rider the First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World. A great read and a terrific story, documenting Elspeth Beard's trek on a motorcycle across the USA, Australia, Indonesia, Malayasia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and the brisk finish home to London through Yugoslavia, Austria, Germany and Holland. Along the way she learns how to cope with incredible challenges and understands how adaptable and strong she can be in a range of situations: her trek, her motorcycle, her relationships, her parents – and her life after the trip.

The book has been translated into Spanish and Italian and is published by La Mala Suerte Ediciones [ www.lamalasuerte.es]. If you ride (or have ridden) motorbikes then the story will seem self evident, the trials and tribulations or motorbikes go without saying, but even so, if you just wish to enjoy a good story and wish to go along for the ride, then Elspeth’s adventures will take you there. When asked about travelling alone, Elspeth replied, ‘As a woman you obviously have to be aware that you will be probably seen as more of target than if you are a bloke, but it is also very important to remember, if you are wearing a full face helmet, most people will assume you are a bloke anyway.’ She found that as a woman, many people would help her. In some countries people see it as a duty to help and protect you. She said it is not all bad – there are advantages and disadvantages as a female solo traveller. Home and Beyond I felt I needed to escape and get away. I’d finished my first three years of architecture and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to carry on and finish my course.

Forging documents

In those days, you traveled without social media. You couldn’t tell everyone what you were doing every five minutes of the day. It was very, very different. And you very much traveled for yourself. You learned about yourself, about the world, that was it really.”

After riding through Iran in seven days it wasn’t long before Elspeth was on her way through Europe, an experience that wasn’t quite as she had expected. Today, Elspeth Beard is an award-winning architect based in the U.K. We had the opportunity to do an e-interview with her, posing a dozen questions in follow-up to her book. Here’s what she had to say: After years away, she returned home, wiser and with the knowledge that she could do anything she set out to do. But, publishing a book at the time seemed like a dead end road, as no one was interested in her story. And after storing away all her notes, audio files and memories for almost 35 years, she finally wrote the book that she wanted to all those years ago. And here we have it, Lone Rider - The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World. It was also in Australia that Elspeth made her own aluminium top box and panniers, taking three months to build them. Travelling as a lone woman Elspeth stated, ‘For most of us motorcycling represents freedom. This is how they see motorcycling – it gives them the freedom and because motorbikes are relatively inexpensive compared to cars, it is a form of transport they have got some chance at actually being able to get, to give them the freedom to go out and to do things.’When I’d finished, I patted my trousers for my wallet, but the man and woman immediately tensed. I mimed paying them, but they shook their heads. I was their guest, they explained in gestures. Any attempt to pay them would be refused.