Freewheeling: Essays on Cycling

by Various Contributors

Cycling? It's one of my life's constants, it feeds my need for beauty, for delight and for aimless exploring . . . I hope to continue pedalling, nice and slowly, for the rest of my life, with the same curiosity that ignited my childhood.

Twelve writers consider the joys and consolations of cycling, whether in a city late at night or along country lanes on a summer's day. Yara Rodrigues Fowler and Xani Byrne write movingly on coming to terms with loss through tandem biking; Jon McGregor takes part in the overnight Dunwich Dynamo. Annie Lord sings the praises of cycling home on Lime bikes from parties, while the late Dervla Murphy regales us with stories of a cycle through Europe.

Freewheeling is a celebration of life on two wheels, and how bikes can become an extension of ourselves, a type of armour, and a route to liberation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cycling

122 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2025

Reviews

[Jaguar Tiririca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this one in an independent little bookshop and cafe in Vienna, and I thought about one of my friends’ birthdays coming up in a few weeks. So, I bought it, and now the plan is to add two cycling essays to it, one from another friend of mine and one from myself to give to our cycling friend in early June.

The stories vary a lot in quality and content, but overall, I found the book very nice. It got me reflecting a lot around my own relationship with cycling, and as mentioned, inspired me to write about it myself. And this book is also made by my favourite bookshop in London, Daunt Books Marylebone High Street.

I thought of Annie Dillard’s terrifying line, ‘How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing’. What I was doing with my life: riding the same roads to and from job that, increasingly, felt like trying to cycle up a waterfall or a hydroelectric dam. Each day, cycling showed me a small bit of freedom but never enough.

[mia :•) · Rating 4 out of 5]

yay bikes :)

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish they had selected better essays, but the tandem one was cleverly done!

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love cycling as a mode of transportation so the stories were cute to read and provided lovely scenic descriptions and evoked the emotions connected with riding a bike, but the collection felt very random, the sections felt absolutely disconnected from the stories which they contained, and it felt without a purpose or an intention.

[Freya Knowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to get a bike again - thanks for inspiring me!

[Jules Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little collection of short pieces- mainly addressing the more spiritual aspects of cycling, and the positive effects it has on our well being. I particularly liked David O’Doherty’s essay on this obsession with vintage racing bikes. The final essay is an extract from Dervla Murphy’s account of her ride from Ireland to India in 1963 (Full Tilt https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) which I read a few years ago - and reminded me what an incredible pioneer she was!

[Lily Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this collection. A beautiful mix of relatable tales, unusual obsessions, unbelievable trips and musings on subjects I had no knowledge of. What ties all of these essays together is the freedom that cycling offers. Made me reflective of how bikes and cycling have often appeared and become a space of sanctuary during difficult times in my life. I deeply remember the feeling of cycling around my block as a young child. Freewheeling.

[Harriyeet · Rating 3 out of 5]

liminal read (between Neapolitan novels)

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Freewheeling ?
"Ce n'est pas ma passion inexistante pour le vélo qui m'a attirée ici mais j'ai tellement aimé tous les opus de cette collection de Daunt Books que je pense que je pourrais les acheter peu importe le sujet."

Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Ici ce sont donc 12 personnes qui nous parlent de vélos dans 11 essais différents (spoiler alors, l'un d'entre eux parlent de tandem), et de ce que cela signifie pour eux, dans leur vie..."

Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous ?
"Si le sujet ne compte pas tant que ça dans ces essais, c'est parce qu'il n'est qu'un prétexte pour parler de bien d'autres choses, à chaque fois. De liberté souvent, celle du corps et celle de l'esprit, de la vie tout simplement, de ses difficultés, de la différence, du racisme, de la santé mentale... C'est riche, varié et passionnant. Et ça me donnerait presque envie de me mettre au vélo. Contre toute attente, c'est un des recueils de la collection que j'ai le plus aimé d'ailleurs. D'abord, les essais sont accessibles par rapport à mon niveau d'anglais, il m'est arrivé d'avoir plus de mal dans les précédents, et puis, même si j'en ai apprécié certains plus que d'autres bien sûr, aucun ne m'a déplu. Je pense que je me souviendrai longtemps de ceux qui parlent de santé mentale, un sujet qui me touche toujours beaucoup et j'ai été particulièrement intéressée par celui d'Aniefiok Ekpoudom qui me montre un monde tel que je ne le connais pas, au travers de la communauté noire d'Angleterre et c'est à la fois éclairant et nécessaire je pense."

Et comment cela s'est-il fini ?
"Il ne me manque qu'un seul livre de cette collection, sur les chiens en plus, il va donc falloir que je me le procure très vite, et j'ai déjà hâte de savoir quel sera le prochain sujet abordé même si au fond, peu importe, je serai au rendez-vous."

http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...

[Deedlina · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of my fondest childhood memories is riding bicycles with friends in the 90s. In that precious era, not only were we nurtured by our mothers, but we were also shaped by the wider society around us. Cycling also reminds me of my kind grandfather — a man who, while rooted in tradition, was remarkably open to modern ideas.

People have subjective experiences with cycling, but for me, it has always symbolized freedom, exploration, and mindfulness of the soul.

With these thoughts in mind, I picked up Freewheeling – Essays on Cycling expecting a collection of stories that would transport me back to those carefree years and connect my young self to others across cultures and embodied experiences.

However, the narratives in the book focused more on personal struggles than on the philosophy or spirit of cycling itself. In fact, many pieces lacked the reflective tone one expects from an essay. Rather than a collection of essays, the book felt more like a series of blog posts. This book fits more as a blogposts rather than as a printed paperback.

I couldn’t help but think of Dostoevsky — a “doctor of the soul” — who explored profound human questions in his seminal novels without the help of modern technology. In today’s era of endless connectivity, I wonder if we have lost some of the deeper philosophical and metaphorical wisdom that once defined great writing.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A birthday present from someone who knows I love cycling and non-fiction and exhorts me to read more creative writing. This book is the perfect union of all three!

Combining a diverse range of reflection on two-wheeled adventures, this book is bound to leave any cyclist thinking of their own free-wheeling short story. I'd been planning (evening collecting images and ideas in a scratch-pad for) a 'Ode to My Bikes' long story of reflection. Now, I'm super-charged and ready to go like a steed pent-up in a garage, unridden for 2 months straight.

My picks were:
1. Jon McGregor's 'You Are Here,
2. Ashleigh Young's 'The Gasp'
3. Mina Holland's 'Life Spins On'...

...although all thoroughly enjoyable.

[soph · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a delight to read! thanks ellie for getting me this at the edinburgh bookshop 😁😁 bright, vivacious, sparkling with an urbanist’s appreciation for cycling as a way to bridge the natural and built environments. i think of bluebiking down the esplanade at night with my friends, cycling past concerts in the public garden and riding home from dinner parties in the deep bruised twilight. a gorgeous collection that i can’t wait to come back to.

[sofea hanani · Rating 4 out of 5]

first book of 2026 yipeee!

memorable quotes i stumbled across:

- "can i just do this? can i just be out here, in the world, in the air? can i take up space this way?...but here i couldn't help but take up space. i existed".

- "i once read an article describing happiness not as a permanent state that you reach, but as a series of small moments that pass by so quickly, you turn around and they're almost gone".

- "the world keeps on spinning, and so do i".

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I have enjoyed all the daunt collection books but this one didn’t hit the mark as much for me. Maybe as a cyclist I thought I would read more about the joys and feelings of cycling.
As always some gems by some contributors- loved dervla murphy and xani & Yara which could have been 5 star essays in themselves. But others, not so much and more ramblings of everyday life. Interesting but not intriguing.

[Claude Tellick · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this during a brief but intense period of cycle hire obsession this spring and early summer, probably never been happier than those few weeks. as with most essay collections there were some hits and some misses, this one being more on the hit side. some really fascinating perspectives and stories within, would recommend if you’re looking for something to nibble on

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some beautiful philosophies on cycling. A couple of the essays pinned exactly into words how I felt 5 years ago cycling home on the new bike that would inspire my adult life’s passion and obsession. A nice line “a cyclist is someone who only by moving can balance, and only by balancing move”.
Really want to get the Daunt books collection about the kitchen and the one about dogs <3

[Owen Groves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely bit of reading

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diversity of autors means this will naturally always be One of the Books of All Time.

John McGregor's contribution is an absolute slapper though and i will be revisiting it often.

[neens · Rating 2 out of 5]

really enjoyed imogen binnie's essay, the one about lime bikes after a night out, and the one about blm cycling protests in london. the rest was rather substack-worthy at best

[Eliazar Lebrón-Díaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

La bici com a element, però no centre, de les històries.

Assajos macos i assajos que no diuen res.

[Claire Herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely stories!! Cycling rules

[Caroline Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

love to cycle love to read about cycling
love journal style writing !!