When Julian Sayarer learns the world record for a circumnavigation by bicycle has been broken, and that adventure has been bought by banks and big business, he leaves his job as a London bike courier and sets out determined to take it back.

Riding an average of 110 miles a day and as much as 240, he lives six months on the road and on a daily budget of GBP8.84. His route leads him through Europe and Russia, east to Shanghai, before reaching the jungles of Malaysia, the hills of New Zealand and the deserts and plains of North America. Twenty countries pass beneath his wheels, rolling through hurricanes and alongside homeless cycling tramps.

Life Cycles is not only an account of incredible physical endurance but also a roadside view of a changing world. From US trailer families to Chinese factories and Kazakh nomads, this thrilling tale of discovery and adventure is a reminder that the world is out there and waiting for us.