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Uneasy Rider: Travels Through a Mid-Life Crisis
A broken heart and a moment of drunken bravado inspires middle-aged, and typically rather cautious, journalist Mike Carter to take off on a life-changing six month motorcycle trip around Europe. Never mind that he hadn't been on two wheels since an inglorious three-month teenage chapter involving a Lambretta, four crashes and an 18-month ban for drink-driving, a plan had begun to loosely form...And so, having completed a six day residential motorcycle course and hastily re-mortgaged his flat, Mike sets off alone, resolving to go wherever the road takes him and enjoy the adventure of heading off into the unknown. He ends up travelling almost 20,000 miles and reaching the four extremes of the Arctic Circle in the north, the Mediterranean coast in the south, the Portuguese Atlantic to the west and the Iraqi border of Turkey in the east.But really it's a journey inwards, as, on the way, Mike finds his post-divorce scars starting to heal and attempts to discover what he, as a man in his forties who hasn't quite found his place in the world, should be doing. Self-deprecating, poetic and utterly engaging, his is a heroic journey taken for the rest of us too scared to leave our 9 to 5 office-bound existence.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2008
19 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Mike Carter
34 books25 followersMike Carter is a freelance travel writer. His book One Man and His Bike followed what happened when his cycle ride to work one morning turned into a 5,000-mile cycle ride around the coastline of Britain. In 2008 Uneasy Rider, the chronicle of his motorbike ride of over 20,000 miles to the four extremes of Europe, won the Oldie Travel Book of the Year.
Librarian's Note: For disambiguation, this is Mike (1) Carter.
Librarian's Note: For disambiguation, this is Mike (1) Carter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 3, 2016
Possibly the most entertaining of the motorcycle travelling books I've come across. The self-deprecation in this just makes it so good. Reading this on your morning commute makes you one of those weird types that cackles like a madman to him/herself to everyone else's shock/annoyance/disdain. Highly recommended.
April 12, 2016
Laughed out loud and silently cried a tear or two... I found this a very moving book and one that i could easily relate to... Having been an "uneasy rider" myseld for a good few years, and having had what seems like a number of midlife crises...(in fact I wonder if there may not be such a thing as a mid-midlife crisis...)
I finished the book in record time, and it made me want to get in contact with the author..there was so much I felt close too in his writings...
I m sure it is easy for more "easy" riders to put it down as not very "hardcore biker" just like many do with the "long way round" series, but I found his writing and his experiences very real, very human.
If per chance you read this Mike, I am a 49 yr old biker living in Corfu, and would be happy to put you up for a few days when and if you decide to drop by, or just get together for a drink or coffee...
Thanks for the story!!
I finished the book in record time, and it made me want to get in contact with the author..there was so much I felt close too in his writings...
I m sure it is easy for more "easy" riders to put it down as not very "hardcore biker" just like many do with the "long way round" series, but I found his writing and his experiences very real, very human.
If per chance you read this Mike, I am a 49 yr old biker living in Corfu, and would be happy to put you up for a few days when and if you decide to drop by, or just get together for a drink or coffee...
Thanks for the story!!
January 22, 2018
A good friend gave me this book for Christmas and I'd finished it in three days. I absolutely loved it, not just because of how well written it is but because of how much my own life mirrors that of the author.
The term mid-life crisis has only been recently coined by social engineers in an attempt to brow beat dissatisfied, disgruntled and disaffected people back into an environment they deeply dislike and can only escape from through alcoholism, drugs, gambling, overeating or all manner of other diversions. It used to be called the mid-life change and was both perfectly normal and acceptable.
My own marriage failed abruptly and without any preceding causes, disputes or blazing rows after only 18 months and one of the only things that stopped me from topping myself after I'd lost everything I'd cherished, was the escape plan I held on to. Namely, selling up, quitting my soul destroying job and disappearing over the horizon on the bike to new adventures.
Mike Carter clocked up more experiences, more miles and more adventures in 6 months than most car-park posers will manage in their entire riding lives. Along the journey he meets scores of like minded people, learns more about himself, other cultures, other ways of living that put his life into sharp perspective and in a way that many of us will easily identify with.
It will also infuriate others who are in denial and usually only express it after a dozen large beers have been sunk, and wish to take out their deep frustrations on someone who has had the nads to do something about their life.
The term mid-life crisis has only been recently coined by social engineers in an attempt to brow beat dissatisfied, disgruntled and disaffected people back into an environment they deeply dislike and can only escape from through alcoholism, drugs, gambling, overeating or all manner of other diversions. It used to be called the mid-life change and was both perfectly normal and acceptable.
My own marriage failed abruptly and without any preceding causes, disputes or blazing rows after only 18 months and one of the only things that stopped me from topping myself after I'd lost everything I'd cherished, was the escape plan I held on to. Namely, selling up, quitting my soul destroying job and disappearing over the horizon on the bike to new adventures.
Mike Carter clocked up more experiences, more miles and more adventures in 6 months than most car-park posers will manage in their entire riding lives. Along the journey he meets scores of like minded people, learns more about himself, other cultures, other ways of living that put his life into sharp perspective and in a way that many of us will easily identify with.
It will also infuriate others who are in denial and usually only express it after a dozen large beers have been sunk, and wish to take out their deep frustrations on someone who has had the nads to do something about their life.
January 26, 2022
Thought it was brilliant. A funny adventure that keeps you wondering where your host will end up next and who with. Also this goes against the rules of if you fail to plan you plan to fail. This is the experience of a lifetime and definitely one worth sharing. It makes you want to drop everything and go where your nose takes you and then makes you feel sad because you can't, or can you?
August 27, 2014
I Enjoyed the book, as a motorcyclists and post 50 youngster, but felt it ended rather abruptly.
The honesty provided many poignant moments and it was well written,witty and downright funny at times. A good mid life crisis travelogue.
The honesty provided many poignant moments and it was well written,witty and downright funny at times. A good mid life crisis travelogue.
May 8, 2020
I'm not sure that this was the ideal time for me to pick up a boo with the opening line "42 is the nadir of a man's life." Far less one that suggests that the way to deal with this is to drop everything and go on a 20,000 mile, six month trip across Europe (and a bit of Asia). Though whether, by the end, one would actually conclude that it *is* the way to deal with a sense of directionlessness in your life, I don't know.
That said, it was a pleasant enough read, and not one that required too much concentration at a time of lockdown distractedness. Don't expect any great insight into the places he visits. He doesn't do *that* kind of travel writing, for the most part. It's perhaps significant that some of the bits of the book that came alive on the page best for me were descriptions of places I've been to myself, be it the small town of Svolvaer inside the arctic circle (with my Dad, just before lockdown, and as it happens, he left this book in my spare room before we departed), Goreme and the fairy chimneys in Turkey (like me, Carter went for a balloon ride to get the best view - I recommend it) or the sleepy port town of Calvi on Corsica.
Really though, this is a book about the experience of lone travel (my dad, a keen motorcyclist, describes it as 'self-isolation at speed') and if anything, it left me thinking that while it might have been fun to do for a month at 21, it would probably quickly drag if I were to do it for 6 months at 42.
That said, it was a pleasant enough read, and not one that required too much concentration at a time of lockdown distractedness. Don't expect any great insight into the places he visits. He doesn't do *that* kind of travel writing, for the most part. It's perhaps significant that some of the bits of the book that came alive on the page best for me were descriptions of places I've been to myself, be it the small town of Svolvaer inside the arctic circle (with my Dad, just before lockdown, and as it happens, he left this book in my spare room before we departed), Goreme and the fairy chimneys in Turkey (like me, Carter went for a balloon ride to get the best view - I recommend it) or the sleepy port town of Calvi on Corsica.
Really though, this is a book about the experience of lone travel (my dad, a keen motorcyclist, describes it as 'self-isolation at speed') and if anything, it left me thinking that while it might have been fun to do for a month at 21, it would probably quickly drag if I were to do it for 6 months at 42.
May 20, 2025
I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. I was expecting nostalgia for my own (long ago), travels on two wheels, and yes, there was an element of that, but I was also taken with the restless searching for something that threaded through the trip. I didn't get a sore bum on this trip, but I did travel it with you, Mike, diving into Googlemaps to walk the cities with you and to climb a mountain or two as well. I have to say that you were a plonker to trust some of the people you met, but I guess you'll be sharper next time. Ride safe.
August 22, 2018
Very enjoyable read, full of little factabout the countries visited and dispels many myths about what you thought you knew about them. Makes you want to plan a trip of your own!
August 7, 2019
The cover of my pb version is not at all like the one pictured. But the edition info is correct.
It took me a while to warm up to this author and his tale. Sometime after Chapter 20 or so, I started to like him. Before that, he just plain pissed me off. The idea that he could jump on a motorcycle for the first time ever, and embark on a 27 country odyssey, worse yet inspired by wannabees Boorman and McGregor, was off-putting to me. I understand the 40-something landmark. I even remember facing that mid-life crisis. He just seemed to be a wanker, whiner.
But he did face up to the challenge that he'd made public among his colleagues (an acknowledged trick of any seriously motivated person) and proceeded to tackle the mission. Most of all, he is a professional wordsmithy and he captured the events. His voyage sounded mostly trite in the beginning but slowly his narrative won me to his challenge. In the end I came to respect him as the real deal, as a motorcycle rider. Those that ride motorcycles a lot will also see in his text the kind of validations that he accumulated in a short time the riding experiences that confirm he is not a wannabee. He tackled his challenges on his own, usually alone, unlike wankers, Boorman and McGregor, who were never very far from a support entourage.
My respect for Mike Carter emerged when I realized that he's not just logged a lot of seat time on a motorcycle: certainly that became obvious and important. Survival seat time on a motorcycle is a badge of qualification for the nuts 'n' bolts of riding competently. But the people experiences, in foreign countries takes plumb and pluck, and I have to admit I'm not sure I have it. In nearly 50 years of riding, I've ridden probably several hundred thousand miles, mostly in Canada and USA: 9 of 10 Canadian Provinces; 25 or 30 US States. I've even ridden briefly in New Zealand. But except for some sketchy experiences with Harley mutts here and there, I've never felt my life in danger from the inhabitants; danger that needed finesse and diplomacy to move on. Carter traveled in parts of Europe where the dangers weren't as trivial as a few Harley mutts. I don't mean to overstate the wildness of Europe's hinterlands, but I could travel as many miles as Carter did, and never leave my own country (In today's Trump America, a preferred plan for many Canuks). I just completed a ride of about 2500km and never left Ontario. That distance in Carter's trek would get me to Turkey and expose me to many different countries, cultures. Traveling any distance in Europe, necessarily makes one consider differences and diversity. This is why Americans are so pathetic. Like me, most spend virtually all their time in a monoculture. I have been fortunate to have had and taken the opportunities to see diversity outside of my monoculture, modest as it is in comparison to Mike Carter's challenge. Goodonya bro!
It took me a while to warm up to this author and his tale. Sometime after Chapter 20 or so, I started to like him. Before that, he just plain pissed me off. The idea that he could jump on a motorcycle for the first time ever, and embark on a 27 country odyssey, worse yet inspired by wannabees Boorman and McGregor, was off-putting to me. I understand the 40-something landmark. I even remember facing that mid-life crisis. He just seemed to be a wanker, whiner.
But he did face up to the challenge that he'd made public among his colleagues (an acknowledged trick of any seriously motivated person) and proceeded to tackle the mission. Most of all, he is a professional wordsmithy and he captured the events. His voyage sounded mostly trite in the beginning but slowly his narrative won me to his challenge. In the end I came to respect him as the real deal, as a motorcycle rider. Those that ride motorcycles a lot will also see in his text the kind of validations that he accumulated in a short time the riding experiences that confirm he is not a wannabee. He tackled his challenges on his own, usually alone, unlike wankers, Boorman and McGregor, who were never very far from a support entourage.
My respect for Mike Carter emerged when I realized that he's not just logged a lot of seat time on a motorcycle: certainly that became obvious and important. Survival seat time on a motorcycle is a badge of qualification for the nuts 'n' bolts of riding competently. But the people experiences, in foreign countries takes plumb and pluck, and I have to admit I'm not sure I have it. In nearly 50 years of riding, I've ridden probably several hundred thousand miles, mostly in Canada and USA: 9 of 10 Canadian Provinces; 25 or 30 US States. I've even ridden briefly in New Zealand. But except for some sketchy experiences with Harley mutts here and there, I've never felt my life in danger from the inhabitants; danger that needed finesse and diplomacy to move on. Carter traveled in parts of Europe where the dangers weren't as trivial as a few Harley mutts. I don't mean to overstate the wildness of Europe's hinterlands, but I could travel as many miles as Carter did, and never leave my own country (In today's Trump America, a preferred plan for many Canuks). I just completed a ride of about 2500km and never left Ontario. That distance in Carter's trek would get me to Turkey and expose me to many different countries, cultures. Traveling any distance in Europe, necessarily makes one consider differences and diversity. This is why Americans are so pathetic. Like me, most spend virtually all their time in a monoculture. I have been fortunate to have had and taken the opportunities to see diversity outside of my monoculture, modest as it is in comparison to Mike Carter's challenge. Goodonya bro!
June 19, 2017
I really connected with this book. Mike's motivations for getting his motorcycle license are explained really well, and there is a lot of humor and references that made sense to me. The monotony of life, the sense of failure and his observations of what is happening in the EU labour market all tell a compelling and warm story.
On the other hand, the actual trip itself seems relatively thin when compared to others. There is nothing that impressive about the trip itself. Then again, these days it is becoming more and more difficult to have the kind of adventure that Ted Simon had by going around the world and chronicled in Jupiter's Travels. Still, this is a very good addition to motorcycling literature.
On the other hand, the actual trip itself seems relatively thin when compared to others. There is nothing that impressive about the trip itself. Then again, these days it is becoming more and more difficult to have the kind of adventure that Ted Simon had by going around the world and chronicled in Jupiter's Travels. Still, this is a very good addition to motorcycling literature.
January 26, 2023
Very good retelling of a motorbike trip with all the thoughts and experiences that mold the evolution that comes from travelling and experiencing the road for 6 months.
A nice modern version of a classic.
Sometimes the britishness of the author comes through too strongly, but it's his story and his experiences and it is part of this diary. The fact that he is a journalist helps the narrative to be quick and enjoyable for the most part.
Everyone who has experience loss, travelling, or distance from people they love (being them good mates, family or a loved ones) will find something that resonates with them.
A nice modern version of a classic.
Sometimes the britishness of the author comes through too strongly, but it's his story and his experiences and it is part of this diary. The fact that he is a journalist helps the narrative to be quick and enjoyable for the most part.
Everyone who has experience loss, travelling, or distance from people they love (being them good mates, family or a loved ones) will find something that resonates with them.
March 16, 2018
I was really looking forward to reading this being of the right age, or older :-) and loving motorbikes and travel.....
It's well written, and at times very witty, but never really mentioned the bike, or the riding, I was not looking for details of the engine mapping or that sort of stuff, just for it to be a bit more in line with Ewen and Charlie. (long way round and long way down)
bit of a damp squib!
It's well written, and at times very witty, but never really mentioned the bike, or the riding, I was not looking for details of the engine mapping or that sort of stuff, just for it to be a bit more in line with Ewen and Charlie. (long way round and long way down)
bit of a damp squib!
November 19, 2017
A very interesting read. If you're here for a history/geography lesson on each of the 27 countries that Mike visited then move along. There are glimpses of an educational insight but, on the whole, this book is an emotional journey about a middle-aged, grumpy man who wants an answer. To what? I'm not even sure he knows!
April 12, 2021
You're divorced, worried that you'll never meet anyone again, sad about your dad leaving you, and your mom dying, and your cat dying, and now you're riding around Europe picking fights, drinking until you pass out and other self-destructive behavior. Got it. What does this have to do with motorcycling?
December 31, 2023
Mike Carter's One Man and His Bike was a fantastic introduction to this author, and this continues/precedes that book in terms of the quality of writing and the style of adventure that he carries off so well. This book is a perfect accompaniment to a mid-life crisis as the author carries you pillion through his own. Fantastic effort.
September 18, 2024
I’m late to the party as this book has been out a number of years!
But after reading another of the authors book regarding cycling around the uk and enjoying it I was looking forward to this read.
I was not disappointed. Funny, entertaining and well written. A great read.
Not that my few words means a lot to the author.. but nice work.
But after reading another of the authors book regarding cycling around the uk and enjoying it I was looking forward to this read.
I was not disappointed. Funny, entertaining and well written. A great read.
Not that my few words means a lot to the author.. but nice work.
August 5, 2018
This book could be 19950 miles long and I would still love it!
Raw..inspiring..sad in places but as a fellow bike rider this book is a triumph....or a BMW.. Mike get back and see 'A' she sounded perfect!
Raw..inspiring..sad in places but as a fellow bike rider this book is a triumph....or a BMW.. Mike get back and see 'A' she sounded perfect!
August 12, 2021
An interesting insight into the theories of the mid-life crisis and a great journey to follow.
It has undoubtedly taught me many things about life, but mainly how important it is to learn how to say wasp in alternative local languages!
Worth the read, especially if you're at 'that' age
It has undoubtedly taught me many things about life, but mainly how important it is to learn how to say wasp in alternative local languages!
Worth the read, especially if you're at 'that' age
September 22, 2022
I note that most of the reviews are from men but this 60+ female with no particular interest in motorcycles enjoyed the travelling tale. An easy-reading account of Mike's meanders through various countries, the characters he meets on the way, his observations both humorous and melancholy.
February 7, 2023
I bought this looking for a book about biking and the thrill of travelling but instead got a fantastic tale of a man coming to terms with divorce and getting older. Brilliantly written with laugh-out-loud humour moments.
A great read
A great read
July 17, 2019
Not a strong finish
Loved the humour in this and a great trip. The author was a bit of a moaner. The book finished up a bit lack lustre.
Loved the humour in this and a great trip. The author was a bit of a moaner. The book finished up a bit lack lustre.
April 22, 2021
Highly amusing caper
October 5, 2021
Loved it . Brilliant read .
April 16, 2024
This might be the first time I've felt sad because a book was over.
April 19, 2024
Brilliant read. Great adventure and Mike writes with humour. Definitely one I’ll read again.
September 18, 2024
An entertaining read….. real life experiences!
December 6, 2025
such a fabulous tale, midlife crisis well told, incredibly enjoyable and insightful read.
September 16, 2025
Not overtly impressed. Apart from the actual "mid life crisis" issue, I did not find a real interest in this book. Had some difficulty finishing it.
October 27, 2018
I enjoyed this book largely because it was no triumphant "I've lived your dream, sucker!" brag. It was much more a "I've lived your dream and, frankly, it was mostly really, really boring" narrative. The lesson seemed to be that if you're going to have a mid-life crisis, have it with a mate. The scenes that will stick with me are those when the author goes out for yet another lonely beer in some Polish backwater before waking the next day to go and visit the Museum of Beetroot, just to put the time in, before heading to the next Polish backwater. Some of the observations were very funny in a Grumpy Old Man kind of way, and the author is unashamed to highlight his own personal foibles and problems in order to poke some often poignant fun at himself.
In the end, the title of the book was absolutely spot on. I wasn't sure if Mike had actually enjoyed the tour much at all, but ended having learned something about himself, and having met some friendly people dispensing the milk of human kindness on the way. He also met plenty of bitter, angry lunatics too, usually men in their forties having their own mid-life crisis. It showed that living the average, happy, family life, surrounded by home comforts, routine, friends and small pleasures is a goal to strive for. A pint down your local on a wet and windy Thursday evening before heading home is, actually, much preferable to sipping a cold lager on the shores of the Aegean on your own, thousands of miles from home. I do like books that point out that the modest life is a hard goal to attain and that while going 'round Ireland with a Fridge sounds like a fantastic trip, it's actually more sad and desperate than cleaning out your own fridge on a Sunday afternoon at home. Amen to that.
In the end, the title of the book was absolutely spot on. I wasn't sure if Mike had actually enjoyed the tour much at all, but ended having learned something about himself, and having met some friendly people dispensing the milk of human kindness on the way. He also met plenty of bitter, angry lunatics too, usually men in their forties having their own mid-life crisis. It showed that living the average, happy, family life, surrounded by home comforts, routine, friends and small pleasures is a goal to strive for. A pint down your local on a wet and windy Thursday evening before heading home is, actually, much preferable to sipping a cold lager on the shores of the Aegean on your own, thousands of miles from home. I do like books that point out that the modest life is a hard goal to attain and that while going 'round Ireland with a Fridge sounds like a fantastic trip, it's actually more sad and desperate than cleaning out your own fridge on a Sunday afternoon at home. Amen to that.
January 25, 2020
Pleasantly pleased. Although seems like ending was afterthought.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews