BOOK REVIEWS
The Wrong Way Round
ANDY BENFIELD
2019
ISBN 978-1-890623-68-5
I
A Riders Guide To
Staying Alive
Leon Cupit
2019
There's a chance you'll laugh all
the way through Andy Benfield's The
Wrong Way Round yet, there's more
to it than that.
Benfield and the enigmatic Lady
R take on a Royal Enfield ride from
Delhi, India to Yangon (Rangoon),
Myanmar (Burma), an almost 6,000
kilometre ride through lands less
travelled, even a closed border.
While Benfield often laughs at him-
self and his situation there's often an
underlying truth to The Wrong Way
Round as the writer explores his own
situation and that around him.
The core to the ride is the relation-
ship between Benfield and Lady R;
the dynamics are strange, two very
different people wanting the same
thing by different means. Benfield
explores this with good humour while
never blaming he or his travelling
companion.
E
W
Leon Cupit is a rider of more than
45 years, not a professional trainer,
yet realised that as a rider he was
constantly learning, and so wanted to
pass on his knowledge of riding and
so A Rider’s Guide To Stayin’ Alive
was born.
This book, 110 pages, goes through
an eclectic range of skills, some in
great detail, some not so, for riding
motorcycles. The intention is good,
in fact it’s very good however, it does
seem to be directed at novice riders.
Passing it around the office we found
that most of us identified with some
of the ‘bad habits’ so perhaps even
more experienced riders could give it
a go.
Perhaps jingoistic, and a little
wordy, A Rider’s Guide To Stayin’
Alive does duplicate information at
times; maybe intended to drive home
TRAVERSE 123
The under story, and yet more
important, is the exploration of rela-
tions between peoples, environment
and politics.
Throughout the ride, Benfield
discovers that often what we are told
is far from the truth. His British
notions are challenged to the point
of embarrassment, he learns that
promises are often broken, borders
are generally not correct, and bad is
often just misunderstood.
You'll find it's hard to put down
The Wrong Way Round as the further
you travel with Benfield the more
you become a part of the relationship
between he and Lady R, he and the
Royal Enfield, he and the surround-
ings.
The Wrong Way Round is a great
adventure into areas less explored.
S
a point. This is none more evident
than reoccurring ‘green’ sections
throughout the book.
Pearls of Wisdom are provided by
Terry McCarthy, a 50-year veteran of
motorcycle riding; a motorcycle cop,
a display rider with the Army Reserve
and a rider trainer. His insight is
appreciated; succinct and thought
provoking. In many ways this could
be the book itself.
A Rider’s Guide To Stayin’ Alive will
make you think about your riding,
regardless of skill or experience, and
for that very reason could be worth a
read.