High Spain Drifter, by Mark Krieger, follows cyclist Mark and his wife Roz, as they travel around Spain and Portugal’s Iberian Peninsula.

Rosebud, Victoria, Australia — Having previously cycled around France, Mark Krieger’s High Spain Drifter continues his and his wife Roz’s journey throughout Europe, this time around Spain and Portugal’s Iberian Peninsula.

Following the footsteps of the Tour de France and Spain’s Vuelta a Espana through the Pyrenees, Mark recalls many of cycling’s memorable moments; some inspirational, and some that the sport would rather forget.

Across the border into Spain, summer is approaching, a time when Catalonians are in festival mode. Travelling west, there is a treacherous ‘goat track’, near Oviedo, that Mark’s determined to conquer after two failed attempts.

Arriving in Portugal, the pair are enthralled by the country’s history; events like the ‘Age of Discoveries’, the 1755 earthquake, the Carnation Revolution and the humble beginnings of Fado. Drenched in history and abundantly alive in the present, Lisbon proves an awesome exception to avoiding large cities when cycling.

Just as evocative in its own way is the small Spanish town of Trigueros. Once the sun goes down, its previously near-deserted streets come alive.

Continuing through the south of Spain, the travellers visit the Sierra Nevada range. It’s here where Mark tries to fulfil another obsession; to cycle up its highest peak, Pico de Veleta. Much higher and harder than any mountain he’s ever dreamed of tackling, its final kilometres of treacherous road make the thought of continuing seem foolish.

An avid cyclist, Mark has travelled widely throughout Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe. Now a retired schoolteacher, these passions, as well as his life-long interest in history, have become the catalyst for his writing. His and his wife’s journey around France in 2009 – portrayed in his book, Lycra, Lattes and the Long Way Round – was the first of many wonderful adventures in the years ahead. Today, Mark and Roz live happily on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Genre – cycling, travel, vuelta a espana, history, cinema, mountains, portugal, spain, fado, reconquista

The ebook version of High Spain Drifter ISBN 9781506904214, published by First Edition Design Publishing (http://www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com), is available on-line wherever ebooks are sold. The 204 page print book version, ISBN 9781506904207, is published by First Edition Design Publishing and distributed worldwide to online booksellers.

Media Contact:
Mark Krieger
+1(941)921-2607
thebackgarden@mailworks.org