Nick Sanders is an extremist. An Overlander who rides huge distances against the clock – endurance motorcycling beyond belief. His literary output is almost as prolific as his world record attempts, but for some, this complex character writes about the cerebral and the physical in a manner that is inaccessible. His most recent book, ‘The Incredible Ride’ is anything but.
This 142pp ‘landscape’ book is beautifully produced and the writing is engaging from the off. It’s the tale of his Americas end-to-end double record, which came on the immediate back of a single Ushuaia to Prudhoe Bay journey; a total of 51,000 miles in under four months.
The complimentary DVD is entertaining but the text reveals so much more about the physical hardship endured, the incredible abuse the Yamaha Super Ténéré is given and still the human interaction experienced. From breaking an ankle in the snow of the south to the frustration of discovering a 90-day rule in Central America that won’t permit him to re-enter some of the countries within 3 months, the book epitomises the page turner.
It’s all-exciting for the reader, no matter the country he’s crossing. Nick has never struck me as someone prepared to goad US rednecks in a bar, but perhaps he is human after all and exhaustion can lower even his tolerance of stupidity.
Littered with colour imagery, you may not be interested in covering a thousand miles a day, but this book will inspire a journey of some kind and if by some miracle it doesn’t, you will at least view this intrepid traveller in a wholly deserving light.
The Incredible Ride and all Nick’s other publications are available from nicksanders.com
Review by Paddy Tyson
