7. Emily Chappell on becoming an athlete in her mid-20s and whether adventurers find lockdown life easier or harder

An edited version of our summer Zoomcast with Emily Chappell.

Emily is the author of the acclaimed What Goes Around (about life as a London bike courier) and Where There's a Will (about her 4000km unassisted ride across Europe in the Transcontinental cycle race).

What Goes Around shows a new side to familiar city life, taking us inside the couriers' world,  seen by everyone and known by no-one, while in Where There's A Will, Emily uses the lone physical challenge of  her mighty ride across Europe to explore her own internal world, emotional and intellectual. 

An English graduate who says she was never one of the sporty crowd at school, Emily only became a serious athlete in her mid-20s. She brings a rare mix of a writerly thoughtfulness  and serious athletic commitment to her books (and podcast conversations.) 

We recorded this on one of the hottest nights of the year. Maybe you can hear this in the relaxed and reflective nature of our chat, which takes in everything from how introverts can form a community to how cycling clubs can be more welcoming to newcomers - and what Emily learned about Lidl during her whistlestop European adventure.