When I set off to ride my motorbike around the world in 1982 I never imagined that my story would be published. On my return, in 1984, I put all my journals, tapes and photos in a cardboard box in the back of a cupboard where they remained for over thirty years. In 2008 freelance journalist Paul Blezard was commissioned by Andy Dukes to write a short article about my round the world trip for BMW International which was sent out as an international press release. It was picked up by Motorcyclist Online and over the next seven years my story gradually spread. 

​

In early 2014 I was contacted out of the blue by an agent in Hollywood who had found the article on the internet and expressed an interest in buying the rights to my story, with a view to making a film about it. In October that year I was invited out to Los Angeles and after a series of meetings with various scriptwriters and producers it became clear to me that writing a book was the first logical step to ensure that there was an accurate record of my journey. I had always wanted to write a book but the lack of interest from anyone when I returned in 1984, combined with my dyslexia, finishing off my architectural studies and then buying the water tower that is now my home, all became obstacles and my trip became a distant memory. However, with this new interest in my story and encouragement from friends, I decided to write this book.

​

Fortunately I had kept all my diaries, photos, letters and paperwork but it was still a painstaking process piecing everything together as it had been over 30 years since I had returned from my trip in 1984. During my journey I would often use micro-cassette tapes to record the day's events as I sometimes found this easier than writing in a diary at the end of the day. When the tapes were full I would send them home as listening to my voice gave comfort to my mother. They had been stored in a cardboard box in the back of a cupboard but miraculously the tapes were still audible and proved an invaluable source of reference during the writing process.      

​

My book took over two years to write and was finally published in July 2017 by Michael O'Mara Books. It is available on their website or on Amazon and most good bookshops. If you would like a signed copy one can be ordered from this website. 

​

Lone Rider was selected as winner of the Best Shextreme Adventure Book Award 2018. The judging panel described the book as 'a classic of the genre.'

​

In 2018 Lone Rider was published in North America and Canada by Octane Press. The paperback and eBook are available online or directly from www.octanepress.com.

​

After the publication of my book in 2017 I had many requests to publish more photographs from my journey, so I created 'Lone Rider THE PHOTOGRAPHS'. It includes 450 images, most of them in colour. The book starts with my early childhood, then moves on to my first motorcycle adventures before the round the world trip itself. The final sections cover the aftermath, including the conversion of Munstead Water Tower into my home, rebuilding my faithful R60/6 and the gear and equipment I used back in the early 1980s. The last section of this 'coffee table' book covers my hectic life since the publication of my RTW story and how the journey has changed my life all over again.   

​

The book 'Lone Rider' has now been translated into Spanish, Italian and French, published by La Mala Suerte Ediciones [www.lamalasuerte.es]. 

​