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Released: 28/01/2018

ISBN: 9781788039321
eISBN: 9781788030854

Format: Paperback/eBook

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Passione Celeste

Captain Century’s Bianchi Bicycle Diaries

by Mark Pritchard

Shares long-distance cycling adventures in this highly entertaining and personal story.

Blends the love of cycling with engaging accounts of people and places encountered.

Explains the history and growth of the iconic Bianchi bicycle brand.

On his third birthday, Mark was given a tricycle. Thus began a lifelong journey pedalling everywhere he could. In his teens Mark discovered the joys of long-distance cycling and the freedom a Bianchi bicycle could provide. Nowadays he rides around 15,000 miles each year with his Bianchi family.

Passione Celeste is the story of some of Mark’s recent rides, including a 1,000 mile tour from Land’s End to John O’Groats as well as tours in Italy and the Pyrenees.

At the heart of Mark’s story is his love affair with his family of Bianchi bikes. Passione Celeste takes a look at the history and growth of Bianchi and explains why the bikes have acquired a unique place in cycling around the world. It is about the places he visited, the stories he discovered there and the interesting characters he met along the way.

Mark’s story gets inside Bianchi’s DNA giving it a new and unique perspective. That is the Passione Celeste of this engaging and entertaining love story.

Book Reviews

Having been able to get a pre-publication copy of this book before Christmas I can safely say that anyone interested in cycling, epic cycle routes or who has an interest in East Anglian villages will simply love this book - once I started it I couldn’t put it down! Those with a passion for all things Italian will not be disappointed either as Mark extolls the virtues of the infamous Bianchi bicycle. If you need an incentive to get back onto two wheels read this....

by Tim Oliver

A must read book for any cyclist who regularly smiles when riding a bicycle but also a great read for those who can't quite understand why cyclists love going out for a ride come rain or shine.
Stories from Mark’s rides from all over the UK and Europe will not only make you smile but make you feel like you have been on a bike right next to him the whole time!

by Sean Cole, Madgetts Cycles, Diss

About the Author

Mark Pritchard

Born in Trinidad (West Indies) and a lifelong cyclist, Mark Pritchard has worked throughout Britain and abroad as a forester. He has been a board member of Forestry Commission, Chief Executive of an environmental charity and has owned and run a communications consultancy. Since retiring from full time work in 2010 he has cycled throughout Britain and Europe riding 10-15,000 miles each year. In 20-18 he will be riding across the USA from Los Angeles to Boston.