On Friday 13th December 2019 we will be hosting a talk with Emily Chappell. This will take place 18:30 – 20:30. Due to the level of interest we will be holding this event at the Hyde Park Book Club, 27 – 29 Headingley Lane, Leeds, LS6 1BL. This event is FREE but please book a place so that we have an idea of numbers and can contact you with details of any venue changes.

Emily Chappell is an author, adventurer and advocate, known for her long-distance bicycle journeys and the words with which she shares them. Emily visited us in 2016 to share stories from her first book, What Goes Around, and this time she will tell the improbable story of how she ended up winning the 4,000km Transcontinental race across Europe, read aloud from Where There’s A Will, and answer questions about every aspect of cycling and writing books.

Her first book, What Goes Around, was described by the Guardian as “a lovely lyric poem to the city,” and told the story of her years as a London cycle courier – the hidden corners of the city, the honest agony of cold toes and tired legs, the blissful moments when bike and body and city fall into harmony, and the endless encounters with London’s rich and ever-changing cast of characters.

Her second book, the newly published Where There’s A Will, follows Chappell’s journey into the curious world of long-distance self-supported bike races, and gives a unique insight into how it feels to race across a continent: cycling through both sunrise and sunset, sleeping only for snatched minutes in fields and forests, navigating through mountain ranges and along remote unpaved roads, and searching out food along the way.

Chappell captures the loneliness and unexpected camaraderie of long-distance racing, and intricately describes the moments of joy, despair, confidence and self-doubt that her mind cycles through as she pushes her body to the limit.

Emily will have copies of her book available so please bring some cash if you think you might like to purchase one.

Venue subject to change depending on level of interest.