In Pursuit of Stardom – Les Nomades du Velo Anglais

Story of a couple of young british lads trying to make it on the continental circuit in the 50’s. Quite staggering what they achieved (and the miles they raced) with next to nothing and no support. Good read.

in search of robert millar is well worth reading, excellent book

Duggan – Member

I found The Death of Marco Pantani by Matt Rendell to be very good, well researched and informative yet unbelievably boring

Graeme Obree’s book was a fantastic read, really recommend it.

I would also recommend Wide Eyed And Legless, especially now that they have re-issued it (after I paid £30 for a copy 😳 )

Like others on this thread I enjoyed Rob Penn’s ‘It’s all about the bike’

I also took ‘Two Wheels on my Wagon’ by Paul Howard on holiday with me in the summer and it was a great read. (about the Tour Divide)

i too am a big josie dew fan. i’ve read wind in my wheels more than any other book.

i really like betina selby as well, though it’s difficult to get her books nowadays. her style is quite dry but it has some quite depthy historical background to the places she’s been through. an issue with some of her books is that the reissues seem to be self-published and have not benefitted from decent proofreading, making it pretty hard going at times. but i think it’s worth the effort (and if you get the original issues then they’re fine anyway)

at the minute i’m really enjoying the Bicycle Diaries by david byrne of talking heads. his cycling is focused around city riding as he travels about the globe. he’s got some really interesting insights into architecture and culture and politics and that…

If the book swap extends to mountaineering books, count me in (have a shed load, not so many cycling books)

Could always combine it with a STW book swap ride – kinda like a mobile library 🙂

Ten Points by Bill Strickland

A fascinatingly detailed insight into criterium racing mingled with a heartwarming tale of trying to keep his family intact and a horrifying recollection of mental and physical abuse at the hands of his psychotic father.

in search of robert millar is well worth reading, excellent book

Yeah but he doesn’t find him in the end though does he?

Found Boultings book a bit disjointed and dullish. Liked;

Sex Lies and Handlebar Tape – about Anquetil
Fallen Angel – coppi
Death of M.P
Rough ride – Kimmage
The Hour

I would say the above have a bit more meat to them than some of the more recent cycling biogs i’ve read. I also found the fignon book not bad

If the book swap extends to mountaineering books, count me in (have a shed load, not so many cycling books)

Yeah, I’ve got loads of climbing/mountaineering books too. Jon Krakauer and Joe Simpson mostly. Went through a phase of reading stuff like that.

Lance Armstrong’s two books, It’s Not About The Bike and Every Second Counts are both very good although slightly formulaic.

‘The Escape Artist’ by Matt Seaton. Very much a roadies book but the prose has something I wish I could emulate when I write! I’d also like to read ‘Before I say Goodbye’ by Ruth PIcardie (I think) but every time I go into a bookshop they tell me it’s out of print.

It’s All About The Bike
French Revolutions
Heroes Villains and Velodromes
One of the Graham Fife books. (the one about riders is great, the other is a bit of a slog TBH)
Team On The Run
Breaking The Chain

Yellow Jumper on Christmas list.

“A Race For Madmen” by Chris Sidwells has been mentioned already but it’d be a great introduction for anyone wondering what the big deal is about the Tour de France.

Also second the recommendation for “Kings of the Mountains” – Matt Rendell does a great job of explaining a country’s cycling mythology without destroying its appeal.

Riders’ autobiographies are generally a bit heavy on the ego and self justification, but Tom Simpson’s book “Cycling Is My Life” is an exception. He was clearly insanely driven (he literally rode himself to death after all), but still oozes charm. “Les Nomades Du Velo Anglaise” is a similar relic of a bygone time when cyclists could also be Chaps.

Fignon and Millar’s books are interesting in a different way, given that they spent much of their careers dealing with very high profile failures.

So there’s clearly tonnes of great books out there about epic tours and road cycling, but does anyone have any examples of good books about mountain biking?

I would also recommend Wide Eyed And Legless

Second that. A sad but hilarious tale; ANC/Halfords take on the world, and lose spectacularly. The textbook on how not to run a pro cycling team.

+1 ‘Two Wheels on my Wagon’ by Paul Howard
Be Brave Be Strong by Jill Homer – also about the Tour Divide, really enjoyed it, just about to buy Ghost Trails about the Iditarod Trail Invitational.

I also recommend Issue 6 of Privateer.

Mr Agreeable +1

“So there’s clearly tonnes of great books out there about epic tours and road cycling, but does anyone have any examples of good books about mountain biking? “

As mentioned Ghost Trails was pretty good

Namastebuzz:

Ten Points by Bill Strickland

A fascinatingly detailed insight into criterium racing mingled with a heartwarming tale of trying to keep his family intact and a horrifying recollection of mental and physical abuse at the hands of his psychotic father.

I’m glad i read this, but i have no desire to revist it. It would be a good one for a bike-book-club, if anyone was organising one.