Cyclogeography: Journeys of a London Bicycle Courier

Cyclogeography lifts the lid on the hidden world of Cycle Couriers, the 'solitary creatures of the underworld', and the strange or illicit contents of the parcels they deliver. Here Jon Day explores the extraordinary subculture of courier bicycle races including the Cycle Messenger World Championships and the Alleycat races.

This is a street-smart, super-sharp exploration of the soft city as seen from the saddle; Jon Day has written a bold and clever book about the zone where capital and cycling collide. It fascinated me from first page to last; -- Robert Macfarlane

Jon Day s freewheeling reflection on his years as a courier reminds the reader of the sensory pleasures of cycling, even in a context like London: the secret smells of the city: summer s burnt metallic tang; the sweetness of petrol; the earthy comfort of freshly laid tarmac, Day writes. Cycling is instinctive, making you feel a landscape rather than merely see it. By bike your environment writes itself onto your body. 'This book makes for an entrancing read that meditates on the connection of both mind and body with the city. Day manages to make you want to be a courier: the romance of the call signals, the camaraderie of waiting for jobs, the connection to the city and its sounds; the daily bombardment of sonic activity has honed my hearing, and I can recognise most generic types of vehicle through their aural signatures: the chugging tickover of a double-decker bus or the throaty hum of an aggressively driven white van. Cyclogeography will inspire you with reminders of the sensory delights of cycling.' -- Louise Williams

‘Armchair cycling turns out to be an exquisitely indolent sport – at least when one has in one’s hands a book as choice as Jon Day’s Cyclogeography.’ -- Kate Kellaway, Guardian