a virtual launch of 'cycling North'
Welcome to the virtual launch of my ebook �Cycling North.� Book launches are usually characterised by three things: proud speeches, free cake and champagne; and the chance to sell books.
So here goes.
The Speech.
I hereby launch �Cycling North,� my fifth cycling travel ebook.
This ebook project has expanded much further than I could have imagined when I first took my bike, Craig to France in 2012 to ride from the Atlantic Ocean to the Alsace. I enjoyed the cycling, the food and the writing of the subsequent book - �baguettes and bicycles�.
My next project was to convince my wife to join me. It proved easier than I imagined, perhaps linked to the fact that Cathie had already coined the phrase �cycling is just an interlude between meals.� It�s how we approached the next two journeys - down the Danube for �bratwurst and bicycles� and along the Canal du Midi for �bordeaux and bicycles.�
We�re not long-distance cyclists who camp in a tent at the end of a long hard slog and eat endless tins of baked beans. The reason we ride so many kilometres is to sample the food and wine, meet the people, see the landscape and learn something of the history of the countries we�re riding through. It�s a simple formula that has given rise to these books.
After the �shorter� first three books, I thought we should attempt a slightly longer journey. This led to the 4,000 km jaunt from St Malo to Prague last year, which was perhaps the most enjoyable trip combining our love of French food, German beer, cycling beside rivers (another way of saying riding on flat paths!) and extending our extensive foreign language skills - we can now ask for cake and coffee in quite a few languages. Continuing my love affair with the letter �B�, I called this book �cycling to Bohemia.�
Having travelled west to east across Europe, our next project was obvious - from south to north - Marseille on the French Mediterranean to the fjords of Norway. Another 4,000 km ride, only this time there were a few hills. Okay, mountains. My beautiful wife took them all in fine pedal and almost began to enjoy the upward incline by the end of the trip.
�Cycling North� is a journey through the heart of Western Europe, along atmospheric back roads and through major cities, sampling the delights of French food, Belgian and German beer, Dutch and Danish hospitality and the awe-inspiring landscapes of Norway.
I hope you like it.
Free cake and champagne:
Okay, I apologise. I can�t offer bubbly and calories.
But I�m determined to offer those of you who decided to attend my launch something.
How about a free ebook?
All you have to do is answer one simple question.
Name one of the four cakes Cathie has to choose from in the village of Salins-les-Bains? (Hint: It�s on page three of Chapter Three). If you direct message me the answer, I�ll send you a voucher for a free copy of one of my other cycling ebooks of your choice.
Sell books:
As you would have already guessed by now, my cunning free book offer hinges on you being able to access Chapter Three, page three of �Cycling North.�
Put simply, it�s a �two-for-one� offer. For the cost of a Danish pastry, you can receive two cycling ebooks. My aim is two-fold - to sell books and to encourage all my friends to ride bicycles!
I thank you all for your support and for attending this virtual launch.
I�m leaving my desk now to go and hop on my bicycle because any day on a bike is a good day.
Cheers.
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