Josie Dew (born 1966) is an English touring cyclist, author and

cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...

. Although a caterer by profession she frequently takes long cycle trips (such as circumnavigating

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

or Japan – or crossing the

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

on her bicycle whilst suffering kidney problems) and then writes a humorous travelogue detailing her experiences. She lives near

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, England. She has two daughters and a son.Cycling Plus, UK, 1999 She began to use cooking to pay for her cycling trips at the age of 15 and by 17 it had paid for her first significant trip, around the coast of Britain, inspired by a tour of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

when she was 10. By September 2005, she had cycled through 48 countries and by 2010 she had covered more than 350,000 miles. She crossed Europe with her boyfriend, which led to her first writing success, ''Wind in my Wheels''. After her boyfriend was injured in a crash she began travelling alone, which she prefers, despite those who find it strange. In March 2007, ''Long Cloud Ride'', her book about

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, was selected among the top 10 writer's reads by ''

Geographical Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

''.

Books

*''The Wind in My Wheels: Travel Tales from the Saddle'' (1992) *''Travels in a Strange State: Cycling Across the U.S.A.'' (1994) *''A Ride in the Neon Sun: A Gaijin in Japan'' (1999) *''The Sun in My Eyes: Two-Wheeling East'' (2001), *''Slow Coast Home: 5,000 Miles Around the Shores of England and Wales'' (2003) *''Saddled at Sea: A 15,000-mile journey to New Zealand by Russian freighter'' (2006) *''A Long Cloud Ride: A Cycling Adventure Across New Zealand'' (2007),

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dew, Josie 1966 births Living people English female cyclists British female cyclists English travel writers English women travel writers Solo female touring cyclists Ultra-distance cyclists Place of birth missing (living people) Cycling writers 20th-century English sportswomen