The 2018 re-design and re-print of Fred Wright’s original Rough Stuff Cycling in the Alps book (2002) >> the original guide to adventuring by bike in the Alps.

Published in 2002, Fred’s original book details nearly 300 routes, ranging from easy unsurfaced roads at little more than 1000m to steep footpaths above 3000m, and from the southern French Alps to Switzerland, the Dolomites and the Austrian Tirol.

Fred had preserved the collective wisdom of generations of riders who pioneered riding the ‘rough stuff’ – riders who headed into the high peaks armed only with touring bikes and canvas rucksacks, sandals and floppy hats, crossing mountain ranges and joining up towns and famous cols on little-known gravel tracks, dirt trails and even glacier climbs(!). It was gravel biking before gravel bikes existed – mountain biking before mountain bikes, in some cases…

Isola Press’ reprint features a lot more of Fred’s vintage photography, and new maps.

NOTE.
– this is now the second print run of the re-print. How will you know? It is *ever* so slightly smaller than the first, meaning it could be printed in Wales … and features a nice Pannier.cc Logo on the back. Tidy.
– don’t buy this book and expect:
a) an easy ride
b) Routes and GPX files on a plate > you’ll still need to do some digging and planning. But, that’s part of the fun…