There’s nothing like an epic day out on the bike – an ambitious adventure into unknown territory that challenges your mind and body with big distances and tough climbs, and rewards you with spectacular scenery, thrilling descents and a feeling of exhausted accomplishment.

It’s the kind of life-affirming experience that Cyclist magazine has been exploring for the last three years, and now we are bringing together the latest collection of nine such ‘Big Rides’ in one volume. There are tough climbs in Crete, the Pyrenees and Colorado; we cycle up Europe’s tallest, most active volcano in Sicily – which erupts a week later – and tackle Lanzarote’s alien landscape, among others. We hope you find them as inspirational as we have.