Not too long ago I ran across a shot of Ms Elsbeth Beard on the intrawebs and posted it in the "Babes Take 3" thread. Beard is reputed to be the first British gal to circumnavigate the globe on a motorbike. She did it on a BMW R60/6. The photo, of this petite, early 20's London urbanite on that bike just before the quest really intrigued me. I couldn't quite place that girl in situations that I know would've presented themselves, esp. back then. So I started to run down her story. YouTube provided a few cool shorts but then I found this one in particular of a lecture she gave in 2020. It is so fascinating, to me anyway, I've since watched it twice. Beard made her journey in '82 and it took over 2 years. Obviously this was back before internet, cell phones, digital cameras, GPS, etc, etc. The challenges were tremendous. This video really puts everything into perspective- navigating, developing film and protecting proofs, repairs, accidents and injury, water, fuel, crossing borders(she went through Pakistan and Iran, among others), loneliness, dismisiveness, mail, breaks abroad to build savings. The list goes on. When I first started gathering info, straightaway I figured she came from a well-to-do family and had financial means and backing. This was not the case as it turned out. She comes from a hard-working, middle-class, educated family that not only did not really assist financially, were not altogether enthused about her mission. BMW wasn't interested in any sponsorship either. Like I said, she had to take a working break abroad to stack up the needed liquid to keep going, and worked 2 jobs 7 days a week to do so. With the exception of linking up with an occasional fellow rider out on their own journey, she was 100% on her own. I found her post-journey testimony especially poignant. She freely admits going into a profound depression once it was all over. This is something that I can really relate too. "Now what do I do?" I had a fast-paced dynamic career working abroad for nearly a decade then decided to settle down and get back to some sense of normalcy a few years ago. The adjustment was NOT easy. I second guessed myself every step of the way, and whiskey only goes so far. The purchase of my Triumph last year after nearly 2 decades bikeless was very therapeutic and more or less finalized my (for lack of a better word)"recovery," although bicycling has been great medicine. More interesting still is that Beard then pursued the restoration of a abandoned brick water tower outside London into a dwelling and that story is an adventure unto itself. She still resides there, still rides, still owns the bike she ventured out on(and completely rebuilt it, nut and bolt), and has a successful career as an architect. This lecture covers both endeavors. She's pretty frank and shares several very personal emotional and psychological introspections. Perhaps she's a household name across the pond but here in the States not many know this story, so pardon me if this is all common knowledge to the riding tribes of Europe. If not, this is well worth taking an hour and 15 min to absorb. She's sold the rights for a film of her book on the 2 events so she may be on the public radar much more prominently soon. I'm sure Hollywood will sensationalize the final draft. Best learn the real skinny now. A person of tenacity and grit, to say the least. More photos…
This one fact alone and realising what it means speaks volumes for the woman. The World may or may not have been a safer place back then but you can't argue that technology has shrunk the globe and such exploits were a completely different experience to those of today's explorers.
She lives just down the road from me. Edit: Never met her but wish I could - I’d love to hear her stories of riding in some of those mad places. Itchy Boots is the modern equivalent. Look her up on YouTube. Edit 2: I live nowhere near Itchy Boots… Wish I did.
I hadn’t heard of here before, looking the video now. Very interesting person, amazing journey. Those diy panniers, the dog road kill. Just amazing.
Not watched the YouTube video, I'll have a look at that sometime. But I'm highly recommending her book 'Lone Rider' about that RTW trip. One of the best bike travel books I've read
Nice post. Yes, Elspeth is probably better known here than across the water, but I'd not seen that video before and it was a good watch. Incredible woman, all things considered.
I tell ya…. DICK MOVE by Bike Magazine. They couldn't just say "thanks for the offer, but…." They had to resort to ridicule and belittlement. I'd say these days they're seriously regretting that decision. Dropping names was pretty stupid as well.
Almost on a par with KTM not sponsoring the Long way Round. Can you imagine the interest and sponsorship (commercial) opportunities if they had secured right to publish the stories as they happened? Itchy Boots can do this herself with online services - Ms Beard needed mainstream media for the same exposure. Unfortunately she needed idiots like these short sighted Neanderthals. Their loss. No, that’s wrong it was our loss as we didn’t benefit from hearing about her story. Ms Beard - if you read this and still ride a bike. Fancy a run out to the coast with a few people that would like to listen to you? We’ll pick up the coffee bill.
Certainly a bit of a faux pas from Bike magazine but par for course back then I suppose. I had to chuckle to myself at the way she gained entry to Iran with the official and the pen incident. Can you imagine that happening today! If the Hollywood film ever comes off it should be one worth seeing. I just hope they pick the right actress to play her.
Even 40 years later that letter is unbelievable - and not in a good way. As an aside, 15 Upper Wimpole Street would be worth well over £10m in today's market.
Dave Calderwood is an independent arsehole these days. As Ms Beard said in her lecture, Dave could have done the same as the others and ignored (stupidly) her request for a platform to tell folks what she was doing. What was his problem. Go along with it. If she failed than what was lost. If she succeeded then he’d have an exclusive and very compelling story. Frankly if that fuckwit ever turned up at my door (unlikely) asking for a job I think I’d tell him he sucked at his previous roles and should disappear up his own sanctimonious rectum. What an absolute evil little twat. Going to that much effort to belittle her. idiotic. You may tell that I am slightly vexed by ‘Dave’ the twat…
