Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15407 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-09
• Binding: Paperback
• 500 pages

Motorcycle Sport & Leisure, August 2006
"Adventure motorcycling as it should be."

TBM, July 2006
This fantastically entertaining globetrotting tale is a must for anyone who has ever dreamed of having a go themselves.

Synopsis
This is the motorbike expedition that has inspired hundreds of others. Ewan McGregor certainly learnt from watching the "Mondo Enduro DVD". The classic Discovery Television series "Mondo Enduro" is at last published as a paperback. Here, you can experience first hand the joys and agonies of riding the longest land route around the world, 44,000 miles, in the shortest possible time. Completely unsponsored and without backup, "Mondo Enduro" learnt their mistakes the hard way, because they had no idea what they were doing. Any of the three parts of "Mondo Enduro" would make an exciting book in its own right, but here they are published together for the first time: London to Magadan (Siberia); Alaska to Chile; and South Africa back home to London. Sleeping in mud huts or under the stars; avoiding bandits from the Caucasus to Central America, this is adventure motorcycling as it's meant to be - raw, super low budget and above all - fun.

Customer Reviews

It's the real thing - and massively inspiring as a result
The key to a really great travel/real-life adventure book is not only the quality of the writing, but the authenticity of the experience. Austin Vince and his gang of good-natured companions were legends in the motorcycling world for taking off on a 44,000-mile trip around the world that took in everywhere from former Soviet workers paradise Magadan to the barren deserts of Chile long before this document of their travels came out. They almost got five-year jail sentences in Turkey. Vince almost electrocuted himself to death in Peru. And yet they returned to tell the tale, and anyone that reads this book will be massively thankful for that. Having never been near a motorbike, it made me want to jack it all in and take off round the world too. All of the team contribute their tales of joy, despair and excitement, but you feel that it's editor Austin Vince's enthusiasm and generous, boyish nature that pulls you through. He is the perfect host. It really is the ultimate adventure!

Madly Inspirational!
Okay, Paul Theroux they ain't. Some reviewers (who have spelling/grammar issues themselves...) seem to have expectations of this being a literary attempt. It's a DIARY. It's funny (schoolboyishly), enlightening (attitudes), and full of what-not-to-do's. Near 500 pages of simple, humourous adventure. Trouble is... i want some!

The sort of thing people plan down the pub but never do. Fantastic
I love the book, DVD and the follow up `Terra Circa', bring on the t-shirt. My advice is see the Mondo DVD first, then read the book, which is really more a diary. It tells you all about the bits that weren't filmed.

Just remember they didn't go out to write a book or make film/TV series. It's just a group of mates with a mad and crazy idea. That's so good it's got cult status.