K
Keith
Guest
Clearly we are all differntly motivated. The May-June edition of 'Australian Cyclist' has a four
page article by Perry Stone about his 57-day, 14,000 km cycle tour around Australia. It is a self-
indulgent waste of paper and the reader's time. Possibly the worst long article AC has ever
published. Perry Stone might as well have covered his 14,000 km on the local velodrome.
Simon Stainsby, on the other hand, has toured around Australia at a pace which suits him. Some of
his travelogue is at
http://cheshire.iinet.net.au/simon/bike.html
His motivation is not dominated by a relentless press on to the horizon (on his XYZ-equipped
machine with etc. etc. componentry...at a cadence of ...); on the contrary, his travelogue shows
that his machine, though valued, is not the centre of his travels; it is merely the means he uses
to achieve his ends.
Links to many other travelogues can be found at
http://www.pedalpower.org.au/rides/otherides.htm
This brings me to the the issue of how best to write a travelogue which can inform and delight
readers, not just one that lets friends know where one is and that one is still alive, but one that
throws new light on something or seeks to achieve some purpose. Simon manages something toward this
with his accounts of his interactions with 'locals' on his travels and his observations (loved his
comments on Canberra's architecture!). But his diary, despite its balance, seems to lack direction
and a larger purpose - a reason for posting it on the internet.
So what do you look for in cyclists' travel stories?
Keith
page article by Perry Stone about his 57-day, 14,000 km cycle tour around Australia. It is a self-
indulgent waste of paper and the reader's time. Possibly the worst long article AC has ever
published. Perry Stone might as well have covered his 14,000 km on the local velodrome.
Simon Stainsby, on the other hand, has toured around Australia at a pace which suits him. Some of
his travelogue is at
http://cheshire.iinet.net.au/simon/bike.html
His motivation is not dominated by a relentless press on to the horizon (on his XYZ-equipped
machine with etc. etc. componentry...at a cadence of ...); on the contrary, his travelogue shows
that his machine, though valued, is not the centre of his travels; it is merely the means he uses
to achieve his ends.
Links to many other travelogues can be found at
http://www.pedalpower.org.au/rides/otherides.htm
This brings me to the the issue of how best to write a travelogue which can inform and delight
readers, not just one that lets friends know where one is and that one is still alive, but one that
throws new light on something or seeks to achieve some purpose. Simon manages something toward this
with his accounts of his interactions with 'locals' on his travels and his observations (loved his
comments on Canberra's architecture!). But his diary, despite its balance, seems to lack direction
and a larger purpose - a reason for posting it on the internet.
So what do you look for in cyclists' travel stories?
Keith
