Settembre 2023 (G.T.) – Noto nella community mondiale dei Guzzisti, Chris Donaldson ci informa che il suo libro “Going the wrong way”, uscito in inglese nel 2020 (premiato con il ‘Readers favorite Book Award Winner’) è ora disponibile anche nella versione italiana, con il titolo “Lungo la strada sbagliata”. E ben volentieri ne diamo notizia ai lettori di Wide magazine.
Foto courtesy dell’autore.
È una storia di coraggio e di avventura, di ricerca di libertà e di incontri straordinari, con protagonista Chris che, negli anni ’70, era un giovane ventenne irlandese con una gran voglia di scappare dalle turbolenze sociopolitiche del suo paese. Saltò in sella alla sua Moto Guzzi Le Mans 850 alla scoperta del mondo e di sé stesso. Cosa poteva andare storto? Per esempio, che il viaggio di 16 mila chilometri verso l’Australia si interrompesse (bloccato dalla rivoluzione iraniana), che Chris finisse sulle vette delle Ande… e non aggiungiamo altro per non ‘spoilerare’ lo straordinario racconto autobiografico di un vero motociclista, se non che 80 mila chilometri dopo riuscì a tornare a Belfast.
Qui info libro “Lungo la strada sbagliata”, edizione italiana (Kindle Edition):
www.amazon.it/Lungo-Strada-Sbagliata-Settanta-lAustralia-ebook/dp/B0CGBW93HJ
E il Guzzista irlandese aggiunge che è reduce da un viaggio in Australia: “Ho guidato la mia Le Mans fino in Australia, dove è esposta nella Cattedrale di Moto Guzzi a Yea, Victoria, e presenterò il mio libro al prossimo grande evento Moto Guzzi 2023 a Mandello del Lario”. Appuntamento sulle rive del lago di Como, dunque, dal 7 al 10 settembre: gran raduno mondiale di Guzzisti. Potreste incontrare Chris Donaldson!
CHRIS DONALSON: http://chrisdonaldson.world
www.facebook.com/goingthewrongway.book
LEGGI ANCHE GLI ARTICOLI PRECEDENTI:
wide.piaggiogroup.com/articles/travels/la-nuova-avventura-di-chris-donaldson-su-moto-guzzi-le-mans
wide.piaggiogroup.com/articles/travels/in-sella-alla-sua-moto-guzzi-le-mans
RECENSIONI/REVIEWS.
An entertaining no frills motorcycle travel genre book. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2023. Engaging story with lots of challenges mishaps and frightening situations. I can’t imagine ever having the fortitude to carry on with a journey like this and would have given up or taken an easy way out. Mind you this is 1980 so mobile phones, internet etc. didn’t exist so in some way there wasn’t a lot of choice. I also recently read the Elspeth beard book which describes a similar journey at about the same time and the two definitely complement each other (although hers has more a more emotional conclusion and is better written- sorry Chris!). I’m curious why he waited so long to write this and would have liked to see that in the conclusion. Overall, a good read that I’d recommend to anyone interested in travel (motorcycle or otherwise) and early 1980s world politics. I was told about this book by a fellow biker on a FB bikers’ group, he enjoyed it so I have it a try. It turned out to be one of those rare books that you really can't put down, an excellent read, not really about bikes, more about life. If you're interested in real life traveling rather than commercial supported touring, then this is for you. If you enjoyed Mondo Enduro, you're going to love this or the other way round (not the long way round). Having repaired a Ducati gear selector, in the middle of Germany, with a fork found on the roadside and repaired exhausts with beer cans and wire and camping late at night in the rain to wake up in someones front lawn, I could totally relate, in a small way, to Chris's story. Young Irishman takes a bike, vague planning, ends up in Africa, North America, South America. Just hits the road come what may. Honest storytelling, plain language. It was before the times of mobile phones, internet, facebook and digital maps and therefore much more adventurous than nowadays. When you're a biker and dream of long solo-trips but don't have the time because of all the obligations of a regular life then it's very pleasant to read this guy's story. And when you drive a Guzzi your confidence in your bike rises: this man drives a road-bike mostly off-road on very rough terrain and therefore most of the bike obviously falls apart, but the V-engine is indestructible. Finally: as always the destination is not really the point, the journey is.
Read it! What con go wrong? Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2023.
Ultimate Motorcycling, February 24, 2023, United States: https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023/02/24/going-the-wrong-way-motorcycle-book-review-riders-library
Great Story and Good Read!Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2023.
Going the Wrong Way led to the right journey, Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2021.
An Epic Journey to Unknown Destinations, Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2020.
