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I enjoyed the book on Pantani? Any other suggestions to get on my Kindle? Particularly modern times - is Millar's book worth a read?
In reply to kevin stephens:
Racing in the Dark, the first one, is OK, but deteriorates towards the end. For my money, and I've read lots of these books as I work in the field, by far the best is The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton (ghosted by Daniel Coyle). It's about cycling, obvs, but paced like a thriller. Anything by Richard Moore is worth a read, too.
Racing in the Dark, the first one, is OK, but deteriorates towards the end. For my money, and I've read lots of these books as I work in the field, by far the best is The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton (ghosted by Daniel Coyle). It's about cycling, obvs, but paced like a thriller. Anything by Richard Moore is worth a read, too.
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In reply to kevin stephens:
Chris Boardman's book Triumphs and Turbulence is good.
Chris Boardman's book Triumphs and Turbulence is good.
1
In reply to felt:
Agree about the secret race. Brilliant book and fast paced all the way through.
Other recommended reads.
Seven deadly sins by David Walsh.
The cannibal by Eddie Merckx
.
Plenty of choice here.
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/the-greatest-cycling-books-of-all-time-...
Agree about the secret race. Brilliant book and fast paced all the way through.
Other recommended reads.
Seven deadly sins by David Walsh.
The cannibal by Eddie Merckx
.
Plenty of choice here.
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/the-greatest-cycling-books-of-all-time-...
In reply to jockster:
What about Tomorrow, you don't ride by Lorena Bobbit
> Tomorrow, we ride by Jean Bobet is my favourite
What about Tomorrow, you don't ride by Lorena Bobbit
4
In reply to kevin stephens:
I liked Graham O'Brees autobiography. Brutally honest. Can't remember its name.
I liked Graham O'Brees autobiography. Brutally honest. Can't remember its name.
In reply to kevin stephens:
It is not modern but "put me back on my bike....in search of Tommy Simpson" is a fantastic biography by William fotheringham.
It is not modern but "put me back on my bike....in search of Tommy Simpson" is a fantastic biography by William fotheringham.
In reply to Phil1919:
The Flying Scotsman
> I liked Graham O'Brees autobiography. Brutally honest. Can't remember its name.
The Flying Scotsman
Post edited at 23:01
In reply to kevin stephens:
I find Lance Armstrong's Its not about the bike, gives a good, honest reflection on his years at the TdF.
I find Lance Armstrong's Its not about the bike, gives a good, honest reflection on his years at the TdF.
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In reply to kevin stephens:
I've just read Domestique by Charly Wegelius, which I enjoyed very much. Also Ned Boulting's book was funny.
I've just read Domestique by Charly Wegelius, which I enjoyed very much. Also Ned Boulting's book was funny.
In reply to Padraig:
Thats it. Thanks. I will always remember watching Graham Obree and Chris Boardman race around Lake Windermere in about 1988. Graham Obree arrived at the finish foaming at the mouth. He looked liked he had put every last ounce of effort into the ride. Boardman in fact Just beat him.
Thats it. Thanks. I will always remember watching Graham Obree and Chris Boardman race around Lake Windermere in about 1988. Graham Obree arrived at the finish foaming at the mouth. He looked liked he had put every last ounce of effort into the ride. Boardman in fact Just beat him.
In reply to kevin stephens:
Not read it but Danilo De Luca's is meant to be quite good.
Then there is the autobiography by Nibali, which they were enjoying reading extracts on the cycling podcast (team includes Richard Moore) during the Tour. That might not be the best literature but sounds amusing!
Not read it but Danilo De Luca's is meant to be quite good.
Then there is the autobiography by Nibali, which they were enjoying reading extracts on the cycling podcast (team includes Richard Moore) during the Tour. That might not be the best literature but sounds amusing!
In reply to kevin stephens:
I thoroughly enjoyed 'The world of cycling according to G' by Geraint Thomas.
David Millar's book, Racing through the dark, was good too, and I enjoyed both of those more than the Pantani biog.
How I won the Yellow Jumper: dispatches etc by Ned Boulting is entertaining
On the fiction shelf, the Armstrong biogs. I read one after the denouement and quite enjoyed trying to work out which bits were presenting something very different from what really happened. It was also entertaining in that context trying to determine if he really thought that what he was doing was acceptable at the time in that the ends justified the means. I've no idea frankly.
I thoroughly enjoyed 'The world of cycling according to G' by Geraint Thomas.
David Millar's book, Racing through the dark, was good too, and I enjoyed both of those more than the Pantani biog.
How I won the Yellow Jumper: dispatches etc by Ned Boulting is entertaining
On the fiction shelf, the Armstrong biogs. I read one after the denouement and quite enjoyed trying to work out which bits were presenting something very different from what really happened. It was also entertaining in that context trying to determine if he really thought that what he was doing was acceptable at the time in that the ends justified the means. I've no idea frankly.
In reply to kevin stephens:
When you're ready for some light relief, I recommend this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gironimo-Riding-Very-Terrible-Italy/dp/0224100157
"Tim Moore sets off to recreate the most appalling bike race of all time. The notorious 1914 Giro d'Italia was an ordeal of 400-kilometre stages, cataclysmic night storms and relentless sabotage - all on a diet of raw eggs and red wine. Of the 81 who rolled out of Milan, only eight made it back."
When you're ready for some light relief, I recommend this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gironimo-Riding-Very-Terrible-Italy/dp/0224100157
"Tim Moore sets off to recreate the most appalling bike race of all time. The notorious 1914 Giro d'Italia was an ordeal of 400-kilometre stages, cataclysmic night storms and relentless sabotage - all on a diet of raw eggs and red wine. Of the 81 who rolled out of Milan, only eight made it back."
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In reply to kevin stephens:
Along with the Secret Race by Daniel Coyle, his book on Lance "Tour de Force" is also a great read.
Ned Boulting's book is good fun.
The Hour by Michael Hutchinson.
Along with the Secret Race by Daniel Coyle, his book on Lance "Tour de Force" is also a great read.
Ned Boulting's book is good fun.
The Hour by Michael Hutchinson.
In reply to beh:
Thing about Tour de Force is that you know what he wants to say but he pulls his punches the whole time. Should have been callled If Legal Would Let Me Say It. I've got the Juliet Macur Cycle of Lies book, and Walsh's post-Oprah book and they really do spell it out, unlike Big George's anodyne offering. Don't know what happened there, coulda been a real contender.
Thing about Tour de Force is that you know what he wants to say but he pulls his punches the whole time. Should have been callled If Legal Would Let Me Say It. I've got the Juliet Macur Cycle of Lies book, and Walsh's post-Oprah book and they really do spell it out, unlike Big George's anodyne offering. Don't know what happened there, coulda been a real contender.
In reply to AndyC:
I've just finished that and I wasn't totally sold. Just wasn't as funny as it should have been. You read his TdF book? It's meant to be much better.
I've just finished that and I wasn't totally sold. Just wasn't as funny as it should have been. You read his TdF book? It's meant to be much better.
In reply to beh:
The Hour is particularly interesting but, note, its final chapters may disappoint the British tifosi.
> The Hour by Michael Hutchinson.
The Hour is particularly interesting but, note, its final chapters may disappoint the British tifosi.
In reply to felt:
I wasn't overly impressed with his Tour book either. For a light hearted look at the tour, I much preferred the Ned Boulting book.
The Tyler Hamilton book is very good, I also really enjoyed G's book.
I wasn't overly impressed with his Tour book either. For a light hearted look at the tour, I much preferred the Ned Boulting book.
The Tyler Hamilton book is very good, I also really enjoyed G's book.
In reply to felt:
I thought it was an entertaining light read, but I was on holiday in Italy at the time. Maybe the Italian air mixed with quantities of Peroni helped?! Didn't know there was also a TdF book, thanks for the tip.
> I've just finished that and I wasn't totally sold. Just wasn't as funny as it should have been. You read his TdF book? It's meant to be much better.
I thought it was an entertaining light read, but I was on holiday in Italy at the time. Maybe the Italian air mixed with quantities of Peroni helped?! Didn't know there was also a TdF book, thanks for the tip.
In reply to AndyC:
That said, I was very impressed with his mountain descents braking with a mixture of cork brakes and feet. Also his white woollen kit.
That said, I was very impressed with his mountain descents braking with a mixture of cork brakes and feet. Also his white woollen kit.
In reply to AndyC:
Just reminded me of Bill Bryson let's laugh at the silly foreigners approach, which can grate after a while. That, or aren't they endearing?
Just reminded me of Bill Bryson let's laugh at the silly foreigners approach, which can grate after a while. That, or aren't they endearing?
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In reply to felt:
Of another era, "Reg Harris: The Rise and Fall of Britain's Greatest Cyclist" is worth a read.
Of another era, "Reg Harris: The Rise and Fall of Britain's Greatest Cyclist" is worth a read.
In reply to felt:
Even with hindsight, it seems a fairly balanced depiction of Armstrong for someone granted access to him. Or at least I don't feel I'm going to learn anything new from something more recent on him, the USADA report and Tyler's book have the doping covered. I guess I also liked it for the brief bios of Landis/Hamilton/Vino/Ullrich.
Any worthwhile biographies for Ullrich?
Even with hindsight, it seems a fairly balanced depiction of Armstrong for someone granted access to him. Or at least I don't feel I'm going to learn anything new from something more recent on him, the USADA report and Tyler's book have the doping covered. I guess I also liked it for the brief bios of Landis/Hamilton/Vino/Ullrich.
Any worthwhile biographies for Ullrich?
In reply to The New NickB:
Really? It read like it was written by a Sky PR.
> I also really enjoyed G's book.
Really? It read like it was written by a Sky PR.
In reply to The New NickB:
Yes, indeed. But perhaps to be read without a bit on an eye on Nicole Cooke's comment that TH will make more money from his book on how he defrauded cycling than NC did out of her entire career.
That said, I'm a massive fan of his dieting tips... Fizzy water, just fizzy water.
> The Tyler Hamilton book is very good,
Yes, indeed. But perhaps to be read without a bit on an eye on Nicole Cooke's comment that TH will make more money from his book on how he defrauded cycling than NC did out of her entire career.
That said, I'm a massive fan of his dieting tips... Fizzy water, just fizzy water.
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In reply to Gone for good:
The Canibal isn't autobiographical is it ? In any case I found the style hard going. Only got 2/3 way through it. Gerraint Thomas' book is ok in an easy reading magazine kind of way. I actually enjoyed The Climb ghost written for Froome. Just a totally different background.
The Canibal isn't autobiographical is it ? In any case I found the style hard going. Only got 2/3 way through it. Gerraint Thomas' book is ok in an easy reading magazine kind of way. I actually enjoyed The Climb ghost written for Froome. Just a totally different background.
In reply to kevin stephens:
Millar's book is a good read. Not biographies, but Ned Boulting's books are a good read.
Cav's book is good.
Millar's book is a good read. Not biographies, but Ned Boulting's books are a good read.
Cav's book is good.
In reply to captain paranoia:
The book was serialised on Radio 4 a couple of years ago, I think the BBC had a cycling season or something. I don't remember a TV program but I could be wrong.
> Wasn't there a TV programme based on it?
The book was serialised on Radio 4 a couple of years ago, I think the BBC had a cycling season or something. I don't remember a TV program but I could be wrong.
In reply to kevin stephens:
From much further down the peloton Matt Seaton's Escape Artist is worth a look.
From much further down the peloton Matt Seaton's Escape Artist is worth a look.
In reply to kevin stephens:
Froomes is a good read, gives a detailed insight into his upbringing and sudden boost in performance in races.
Froomes is a good read, gives a detailed insight into his upbringing and sudden boost in performance in races.
In reply to Mike Highbury:
It is ghost-written, but leaving that aside I enjoyed his perspective and the anecdotes. Maybe because the last one I read was the Pantani biog, which was heavy in comparison; mind you, I do now speak fluent haemocrit
> Really? It read like it was written by a Sky PR.
It is ghost-written, but leaving that aside I enjoyed his perspective and the anecdotes. Maybe because the last one I read was the Pantani biog, which was heavy in comparison; mind you, I do now speak fluent haemocrit
In reply to kevin stephens:
I loved Ned Boulting's anecdote in "How I won the Yellow Jumper" about the day he and some colleagues were ribbing Chris Boardman. Somebody asked Boardman: "Anyway Chris, how many kids have you got?" Boardman looked up from his laptop and replied laconically: "I've got six, but I've only ever had sex six times in my life. It's just that I'm extremely efficient!"
I giggled for ten minutes in my hotel room.
I loved Ned Boulting's anecdote in "How I won the Yellow Jumper" about the day he and some colleagues were ribbing Chris Boardman. Somebody asked Boardman: "Anyway Chris, how many kids have you got?" Boardman looked up from his laptop and replied laconically: "I've got six, but I've only ever had sex six times in my life. It's just that I'm extremely efficient!"
I giggled for ten minutes in my hotel room.
In reply to nniff:
There's a whole category of sporting autobiogs that are so bad they appear to have been written by the star himself or herself: Jens Voigt and Stephen Roche are two recent cycling ones.
> It is ghost-written, ...
There's a whole category of sporting autobiogs that are so bad they appear to have been written by the star himself or herself: Jens Voigt and Stephen Roche are two recent cycling ones.
In reply to kevin stephens:
I really enjoyed Racing through the Dark and The Secret Race - both are fascinating accounts.
Others I've read in the past couple of years include:
Merckx: Half man, Half Bike by William Fotheringham
Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh
Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour De France by Richard Moore
Domestique: The Real-life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro by Charly Wegelius
Not biographies as such, but there's been a number of cycle adventure/touring books I've enjoyed recently:
Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy.
Absolutely amazing woman who in 1963 packed her .25 pistol and a few odds and ends and cycled from Dublin to India.
The Hungry Cyclist by Tom Kevill Davies
Cycles North from New York, then West and down to Mexico, then into South America, eating local delicacies (from prairie oyster in the Rockies to Gerbils in Peru)
The Man Who Cycled the World by Mark Beamont
Not everyone's cup of tea (a lot of backlash to his reliance on corporate sponsors and self-promotion in general), but I thought it was a great account of the trauma Mark encounters especially crossing the harsh 'stans.
I really enjoyed Racing through the Dark and The Secret Race - both are fascinating accounts.
Others I've read in the past couple of years include:
Merckx: Half man, Half Bike by William Fotheringham
Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh
Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour De France by Richard Moore
Domestique: The Real-life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro by Charly Wegelius
Not biographies as such, but there's been a number of cycle adventure/touring books I've enjoyed recently:
Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy.
Absolutely amazing woman who in 1963 packed her .25 pistol and a few odds and ends and cycled from Dublin to India.
The Hungry Cyclist by Tom Kevill Davies
Cycles North from New York, then West and down to Mexico, then into South America, eating local delicacies (from prairie oyster in the Rockies to Gerbils in Peru)
The Man Who Cycled the World by Mark Beamont
Not everyone's cup of tea (a lot of backlash to his reliance on corporate sponsors and self-promotion in general), but I thought it was a great account of the trauma Mark encounters especially crossing the harsh 'stans.
1
In reply to kevin stephens:
Nicole Cooke's autobiography The Breakaway is a good read. Gives some interesting insights into British Cycling's setup as she was beating the elite squad as a schoolgirl, and the response, rather than to get her on the programme was to dismiss it as a fluke and then ride as team against her in subsequent national championships.
Nicole Cooke's autobiography The Breakaway is a good read. Gives some interesting insights into British Cycling's setup as she was beating the elite squad as a schoolgirl, and the response, rather than to get her on the programme was to dismiss it as a fluke and then ride as team against her in subsequent national championships.
2
Got the Ned Boulting book (How I Won the Yellow Jumper: Dispatches from the Tour de France) from ebay for less than £3 including postage.
Very funny book.
Post edited at 20:55
In reply to felt:
I've just read The Secret Race - absolutely brilliant. Really well written, thought provoking and fascinating.
> Racing in the Dark, the first one, is OK, but deteriorates towards the end. For my money, and I've read lots of these books as I work in the field, by far the best is The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton (ghosted by Daniel Coyle). It's about cycling, obvs, but paced like a thriller. Anything by Richard Moore is worth a read, too.
I've just read The Secret Race - absolutely brilliant. Really well written, thought provoking and fascinating.
In reply to kevin stephens:
Steve Peat World Champion 17 Years In The Making is an excellent book.
Peaty is a proper legend in mountain biking and had his final international race last week. It's been a long time since his last win but he's still one of the most popular racers.
Steve Peat World Champion 17 Years In The Making is an excellent book.
Peaty is a proper legend in mountain biking and had his final international race last week. It's been a long time since his last win but he's still one of the most popular racers.
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