The Amazing Bike Ride Review
THE AMAZING BIKE RIDE: A TRUE STORY
Lorin Nicholson.
Illus: David Emerson.
Wombat Books
If you ever feel the need of inspiration to ‘go for gold’, read The Amazing Bike Ride. At the time of his amazing ride Lorin Nicholson was a school boy living in Tamworth many kilometres from the ocean. No one, not even his best friends, believed that he was able to ride to the beach but Lorin was determined.
The main problem facing him was that he is legally blind with only 10% vision. However, Lorin was to prove that where there is a will there is a way. Speaking about his achievement he said: An incredible feeling swept over me. I could hardly believe it. I had just finished riding nearly three hundred kilometres over The Great Dividing Range, some of the steepest mountains in Australia. It was the hardest thing I had ever done….but it felt fantastic. The principal of Lorin’s school speaking to the assembly a short time later said: It does not matter what anyone else thinks you can or cannot do, there’s only one person stopping you from succeeding…and that is you.
The Amazing Bike Ride is well illustrated and is truly inspiring book for young people of all ages whether they are cyclists or otherwise.
DS
THE AMAZING BIKE RIDE
Lorin Nicholson
Wombat Books
A true story experienced by the author himself, come on a journey as Lorin portrays his determination, discouragements, and high points of the long bike ride. The ‘amazing’ part comes to light when you realize that Lorin was almost blind at the time.
This book has two themes wrapped together. It is about Lorin’s determination, not giving up, and a sobering testimony to overcoming all odds to reach your goal. However, there is another character in the story, someone who is quietly there on nearly every page: Lorin’s Dad, always encouraging, helping him all the way, cheering him on to the end. This story is also about the power of encouragement. Someone believed in his dream, and helped him to not give up till he got there.
The illustrations by David Emerson are a fascinating insight into Lorin Nicholson’s near blindness, and add to the reader’s experience of the bike ride from Lorin’s own perspective. They are deliberately blurry, the facial features often hazy or missing altogether, and because of this are so clear in depicting the world from Lorin’s perspective.
I enjoyed reading some details of the author’s life at the back of the book. Despite the obstacles, Lorin Nicholson has achieved many wonderful goals in his life. As well as the obvious encouragement this book can bring to people with a physical disability, it is a wonderful story for everyone to read and be spurred on to overcome the obstacles they may face in their own lives. Also, it is a wonderful resource to read to children and help them realize that everyone has dreams and feelings like them, even if they look a bit different or can’t do some things.
Determination, encouragement, understanding, never giving up—an inspiring book.
AC
THE AMAZING BIKE RIDE: A TRUE STORY
Lorin Nicholson
Wombat Books
A back cover photo and biographical notes tell about the supportive family of a boy who, at the age of four, is diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative condition that is a form of tunnel vision. Now an independent adult with four children, he recounts a childhood adventure that helped him cope with his disability. With just 10% vision he embarked on a three day solo bike ride over the Great Dividing Range with only his father for backup support. Brightly coloured artwork with smudgy edges captures the action in the story while providing some idea of what it is like to have limited, blurry peripheral vision. On some pages extra text box illustrations add extra details about the pace and drama of the expedition. Speech bubbles, inserted amongst the text, reflect the taunting of peers, his personal thoughts, and the integral effort and pain of such an ambitious task. A small lively parakeet flits about on most double page spreads. In his preface Aussie journalist Jeff McMullen praises Lorin for the triumph of his childhood bike ride, his appreciation of the simple joys of life, and his willingness to share his story with school children all over Australia. An inspirational tale for all ages!
See the related sites Sharp (www.seesharp.com.au/) which includes a downloadable school package with information on visual disabilities, and also www.blindguitarist.com/ for a preview of the book and links to several YouTube clips. ACLA
THE AMAZING BIKE RIDE
Lorin Nicholson
Illus. D. Emerson
Wombat Books
This is the inspirational true story of a young man with only10% of his sight, who takes on a seemingly impossible task. The comic-book style illustrations are engaging and the message is timeless: dream big, work hard and never give up. WN
The Amazing Bike Ride is available online from one of our sponsors. Or at your local independent or large chain bookstore.