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Breathtaking

How One Family Cycled Around the World for Clean Air and Asthma

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Pub Date Jun 15 2022 | Archive Date May 20 2022

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Description

Geared up with two tents, six panniers, two tandem bicycles and one stuffed pink pig, Paula and Lorenz Eber set off from Seattle, Washington to cycle the world with their two daughters, eleven-year old Yvonne, and her thirteen year old sister, Anya. Their dream: to pedal in a complete circle around the world using a carbon free, environmentally friendly way to travel. Their goal: to raise awareness of asthma – a disease that Paula has suffered from her entire life – and the world’s desperate need for clean air.

Breathtaking is the exciting and inspiring true story of their adventures. Readers follow the Ebers across Europe, Asia, the South Pacific and North America as they raise their daughters around the globe. School is conducted outdoors on mountaintops. The responsibilities of parenting have been expanded to include hunting for an English copy of the latest Harry Potter book. And family togetherness takes on a new meaning as the Ebers must work together to survive a 100-degree heat wave in Italy, drug smugglers in Russia, a broken foot in New Zealand and a tornado in the U.S. Yet, as the family pedals farther and farther away from home, they realize that the greatest challenge they face is the journey that they must undergo within themselves.

The Ebers returned home twenty-four countries and 14,931 km (9,332 miles) later – raising $65,000 for the non-profit organization, World Bike for Breath. They spoke about clean air and asthma to more than 150 newspapers, magazines, and TV stations, including Time for Kids, NPR, and PBS’s Roadtrip Nation. They are the only family on record to complete a full circumnavigation of the world by bicycle.

Geared up with two tents, six panniers, two tandem bicycles and one stuffed pink pig, Paula and Lorenz Eber set off from Seattle, Washington to cycle the world with their two daughters, eleven-year...


Advance Praise

“The Ebers’ story is a shining light for millennials everywhere who are challenging traditional notions and blurring the lines between a life of family and one of complete adventure. The Ebers have done both, and are an inspiring example of what incredible life experiences are possible with family in tow!”

—Mike Marriner, co-founder and co-producer of the PBS television series Roadtrip Nation


“Kudos to the Ebers for concocting a crazy-big adventure—cycling around the world with two kids in tow—and then actually accomplishing it. Breathtaking celebrates the highs and takes a clear-eyed look at the lows of this ambitious trip—required reading for anybody who’s considering a king-size adventure, both for inspiration and cautionary tales.”

—Susan Crandell, former editor-in-chief of More magazine and author of Thinking about Tomorrow: Reinventing Yourself at Midlife (Grand Central, 2007)


Breathtaking is a riveting combination of adventure, travelogue, and family saga. It’s great reading for armchair travelers as well as those who love to adventure themselves. It’s especially inspiring for parents who want to travel with their kids but wonder if it’s really possible. This book will show them that it is.”

—Robin Simons, author of Together on Top of the World: The Remarkable Story of the First Couple to Climb the Fabled Seven Summits (Warner Books)


“The Ebers’ story is a shining light for millennials everywhere who are challenging traditional notions and blurring the lines between a life of family and one of complete adventure. The Ebers have...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781493064311
PRICE $24.95 (USD)

Average rating from 5 members


Featured Reviews

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I'm a sucker for adventure books like this - cycling around the world, trekking through a variety of foreign countries, the kindness of strangers, etc. and this book checked all of the boxes for me. Add in the two kids and I was sold. I enjoyed learning about their experiences in different countries and the trials and tribulations that go hand-in-hand with unusual travel. Parts of their trip didn't seem well-thought-out, but that's more a critique of their planning and not the book itself. Overall, an interesting and inspirational read - it almost made me want to plan a biking trip of my own... but not quite.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

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