Morocco Bound (the first time)

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One Man on a Bike – Morocco Bound (The First Time)

Morocco 2009 One Man on a Bike

After eleven years, Richard finally felt he possessed the necessary skills to put his first, and most adventurous trip yet, down on paper. This is his story.

One Man on a Bike - Morocco Bound. New book.

This is a book about a rather ordinary man who had an extraordinary adventure. At thirty-seven, Richard wanted excitement so embarked on a month-long, solo motorbike ride from England to Morocco and back. What he didn’t realise was that he was about to get a little more excitement than he bargained for.

He was shot at somewhere around the Morocco/Algeria border, he rode through a minefield, completely lost his way in the blistering fifty-degree heat of the desert, got blind drunk in Alicante and cartwheeled his bike down the road in Ibiza. He also experienced many wonderful characters, moments of pure joy, intense emotion and enlightenment that changed him as a human.

This book is not only about his adventure, but also about Richard’s progress as a person and his battles with his past.

Click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

This is his latest and 4th book. What a gem of a read! I laughed so many times as I read this, that I found myself reading parts out to Birgit and had her laughing too. Richard is a very genuine, amazingly honest, self-depreciating nut with a streak of adventure that has him dreaming, planning and going for it. The planning stage is just enough to keep him out of trouble and to give him the chance to make the most of his journey (in this book) from the UK to Morocco and the Western Sahara. However, he does get into trouble, frequently, and those moments are significant and magic parts of this story. His attitude and willingness to have a go, make this a very refreshing genuinely feel-good book. I valued the way he treats people and there are plenty of people stories woven in. These give a great image of the different cultures he rides though. His descriptions of places are very nicely done! Real talent. He had me there with him. I happily recommend ‘Morocco Bound (the first time)’ to anyone who is interested in overlanding by motorcycles, wants to learn, and has a need to be thoroughly entertained. – Sam Manicom, August 2020.

Sam Manicom, August 2020.

And here’s another fine review. this one is from Tiger Coward, Ontario.

I read this on the recommendation of a Facebook friend, and I thank you for that!


This was an easy, fun, and funny read. I liked it a lot.

My executive summary is that this is a story about a regular guy going on an epic vacation or a minor overlander journey. This is not to minimize the book or the trip, but to make it clear that this is an achievable, relatable adventure.

Many of the books in the Tiger Coward Adventure Motorcycle Library are continent shredding rides, epic personal journeys to self-realization, or globe trotting Odysseys. This adventure is not one of those and fits into my new favorite category, The Modest Odyssey.

You can thank Steven Sherrill for creating this new classification in the Tiger Coward Adventure Library. I hope that Adventure Rider Radio will create a new spin off podcast called The Modest Odyssey Rider Radio. I think that there is a huge market for this category.

Undoubtedly, this is a great adventure. The writer almost got shot, he accidentally rode through a mine field, and he crashed his motorcycle. All of this happens in a month of travel from England to Morocco and back.

The book is also full of honest descriptions of the joys and struggles of solo motorcycle travel. There are bad decisions, good food, and friends made along the way.

In all, I really liked this book and would really like to have whiskey with Richard at my fire pit.

Here are the five things that I most liked about the book.

1. It is humorous.

Richard Georgiou is really funny, and that is apparent in his accounting of the world and his writing. Quite often, I would literally laugh out loud at some of the stories in the book.

2. Shock and awe.

There are at least three truly shocking events in this book that make it worth the read. Of course, it is the writer’s construing and reconstruing of the events that bring the shock to awe. Some of these events were out of his control, and some were a result of his decision-making. Either way, there is plenty of excitement in this book.

3. Honesty.

Bad decisions, bad navigation, and bad dancing are all given equal and authentic treatment as beautiful food, beautiful places, and beautiful people. I feel that the best stories are honest about the whole experience. I feel that too much of today’s social media influence shows a candy coated, artificial picture of life. This book is better than that.

4. Humble.

Richard writes that he doesn’t want to portray himself as a superhero of the story or world-class motorcycle guru. He achieves this goal. He is humbled by the kindness of the people who helped him along his route. Conversely, he downplays his kindness and the help that he doles out along the same route. I loved that he wrote about how this journey has changed him and that he hopes that his wife, family, and friends will like the new person that he has become. His humility is as refreshing as his self-deprecating humor.

5. Relatable.

This is an adventure that most of us could take on. It was a month. It was a long trip, but it wasn’t a multi-year, 40,000km around the world journey. The author’s planning, time away from work, and investment in the trip are all within reach of most of us. I love reading the epic trips and adventures because they seem unachievable and something that I will never do. I loved this book because the trip was something that I could do.

In conclusion, I really liked this book and I recommend it.

Tiger Coward, March 2024.