Alan Anderson was born in London and remembers what it was like to cycle around town in the bad old days before unleaded petrol, catalytic converters and bike lanes.

An avid touring cyclist, he has pedalled through the UK and Europe and clocks up a couple of thousand miles a year on the Sussex Downs on his Dawes touring bike.

He has contributed book reviews to the New Statesman, Times Literary Supplement and Private Eye. He lives in Brighton and this is his first book.