Katio Kadio Cycling Proficiency the road to recovery. (Hardback)

Cycling Proficiency is a gloriously unfiltered, wildly funny and unexpectedly moving travel memoir — 4,500 miles of European bike‑madness told by someone who freely admits she’s… well, a bit crazy. Not quirky‑Pinterest crazy. Not boho‑artist crazy. Proper “where‑are‑the‑sandwiches‑at-this‑picnic” crazy, as Alice Lushington puts it herself.

What begins as a ride across Europe becomes a raw, heartfelt journey toward recovery. Alice wants her story to help anyone who’s struggling see the wild, wonderful horizon that exists beyond the hardest moments. She writes with total honesty about the darker shades of her life, but the dominant flavour is naïve joy, wacky humour and a kind of chaotic optimism that’s impossible not to love.

You’re placed right in her scruffy pink trainers as she pedals through deserts, mountains, lightning storms, stray dogs and handsome French boys — always moving, always learning, always edging closer to healing. And there’s one more twist: every chapter opens with one of Alice’s own hand‑drawn pencil illustrations, capturing the characters, landscapes and absurdities of her adventure.

Raw, ridiculous and full of heart, Cycling Proficiency is a reminder that recovery isn’t neat or tidy — but it can be an unforgettable ride.