THE biking subculture sits very much on the fringes of society, holding distinctive values of authenticity and true brotherhood, Nigel Rostock suggests. He is a biker with 160,000 miles of travelling on the clock, and a conviction that his European presidency of the Christian motorcycle club, God’s Squad, is a calling from God implicit in his ordination.

Harley Davidson bikers draw attention wherever they go: there’s something in the flamboyance of that upright stance which speaks powerfully about rebellion. Harley bikers are singular individuals. The book is a travelogue of Rostock’s journeyings in Europe in particular, with all the attendant exhilarations, frustrations, and mechanics.

He exults in the joy of the road: the beauty of the Alps, the rigour of the Dolomites, a ride down Route 66 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his wedding to Alison. But it’s really about “sermons in stones”. That can be faith-affirming — he likens the trials of a dislodged indicator, for example, to the “disconnect that can be experienced within our walk with God, as we gradually become disengaged from the source”.

A sandstorm leads him to reflect that we can be engulfed in our own spiritual sandstorm. He observes that petrol has the power to animate and bring the vehicle to life when the pump is clean, just as “God is able to bring our faith to life, keep our hearts pure.”

But I ardently wanted him sometimes to be liberated from the need to draw a spiritual parallel; for, sometimes, the journey can speak for itself.

Stories from the Road: Observations from the saddle of an ageing Harley
Nigel Rostock
Instant Apostle £12.99
(978-1-912726-80-6)
Church Times Bookshop £11.69