Lonely Planet Epic Bike Rides of the Americas

by Lonely Planet

Get ready to explore America's most thrilling gravel, road and trail bike routes. This definitive companion for cycling enthusiasts showcases 200 of North, Central and South America's best and most celebrated routes, from epic adventures off the beaten path to shorter urban rides. Go bikepacking in Baja, road riding in Colombia, mountain biking in Canada and gravel riding in Pennsylvania. Each ride is accompanied by stunning photos and a map and toolkit of practical details - where to start and finish, how to get there, where to stay and more - to help you plan the perfect trip. Suggestions for similar rides around the world are also included. Rides in Canada Rides in the USA Rides in Central America & Caribbean Rides in South America About Lonely Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.

Genres: Travel, Cycling, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published August 20, 2019

About the author

OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler alert: live in the Southwest for accessibility.

[Ryan Emerick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this coffee table book. Lots of exotic trails in it I will never make it to see but it did highlight some local stops and shorter gems that were added to my biking short list.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was a really nicely done book. Each route contains a rough (not to scale) map, a description of the ride, a toolkit of notable items (route length, equipment needed, lodging, etc.), and some beautiful pictures of the route highlights. There appears to be a pretty good representation of areas, mostly within the US. The routes do seem to be primarily on the west and east coasts, with a few others scattered in however this may simply be where the majority of these can be found.
The only item that I would like to see in future editions or versions would be the inclusion of more rides of shorter length. While there are some 30 mile or so rides, the vast majority of the rides are multi-day, 100 plus mile routes. The title of the book is "Epic Bike Rides" however, so this is a minor criticism. I'll be looking forward to the editors creating a "Day Trips of the Americas" volume for those of us who either prefer shorter rides or have less time to spend in a particular area.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this! The descriptions, tips and pictures are awesome. I really enjoyed the way each ride description was written by someone who has actually experienced the ride so it felt like a story and actually valid information, not just the same facts you’d read on the route website. While many of the rides in the U.S. are out west, I did discover a few rides in my region that I’ve added to my short list! I checked this out from the library but I’m glad my mom received a copy for Christmas so I can continue to peruse it in the future 😄 🚲

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bike riding

I gave this book 5 stars as it has many glimpses into different bicycle trips. After reading this book I feel the rider must do more decking into a specific ride they want to embark upon.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover artwork is amazing. Wished there were more scenes like it within the book.

4/5

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully inspiring images and descriptions of gorgeous rides in North and South Americas. One steer off for not calling out when there are explicit bike lanes on the routes.

[Susannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It's not one I sit down and read, but rather flip through for inspiration. I thought it was beautiful and is the perfect book for dreaming and displaying

[Chris Locke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great rides for the bucket list. Laid out well, and includes very helpful information.

[Kevin K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic high level guide book. It's got the brain juices flowing and the quad muscles twitching. I've tabbed the heck out of it and I the planing is in full force.

Worth it.