Looking for some recommendations please. I've read:
One More Kilometre And We're In The Showers,
Blazing Saddles,
The Rider,
The Escape Artist,
It's Not About The Bike,
Every Second Counts,
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth.(the Crane's)
What next? and thanks in advance.
In Pursuit of Glory (Brad Wiggins)
Heroes, Villians and Velodromes (Chris Hoy content but charts rise of British Cycling in general)
Cav autobiography – can't remember the name
Bad Blood. In another age, when cycling isn't that popular, poorly written, repetitive turgidity like this wouldn't even elicit a publisher's rejection letter.
Ten Points, by Bill Strickland. Inspiring & uplifting, harrowing & disgusting in equal measures.
Oh, and if there's any runners reading this thread:
It was out of press for years and i tracked down a copy from a very kindly American, but it's recently been reprinted. I can't recommend it highly enough.
I thought A Dog In a Hat was not up to much. Mildly interesting but too much first I did this, and then I did that, and then I did this, and then and then …..
In Search of Robert Millar is good
French Revolutions is good
The Marco Pantani one – I Liked it – but its a total car crash by the end so don't read it if you ever admired him
Cycling is My Life : Tom Simpson
Two Wheels to the Top: Reg Harris
The Agong and the Ecstacy: Stephen Roche
Champion on Two Wheels: Hugh Porter
Watching the Wheels Go Round: Barry Hoban
A Peipers Tale: Allan Peiper
The Bernard Hinault Story
I odn't know, you borrow a book, forget to return it for 7 months, and all they do is moan 🙄 Sorry Kat, but at least I remebered it today and I didn't even see this thread!
GF is reading the Postal Bus one at the moment, he's enjoying that. Breaking the Chain (i think that's what it's called) by Willy Voets is an interesting read.
Kings of the Mountains by Matt Rendell – tells the story of (road) riders coming out of the poverty and political unrest of Columbia to compete against the best.
I can't believe no-ones suggested Thunder and Sunshine by Alistair Humphreys. Its the second half of his world tour…and quite amazing. Can't get through in the Yukon due to forest fires, so buys a canoe and heads off down the river. Crosses Siberia in winter so all the river crossings are frozen. And all on his student loans.
The one I wouldn't recommend is the Graeme Obree one…The Flying Scotsman…really found it a drudge to read…full of self pity and badly written.
It's not brilliantly written but it does give an amazing insight into the mental health problems experienced by so many people who ride road bikes. Introverted, self-obsessed depressives, on the whole. Quite why road riding attractives mental cases is beyond me but would certainly be worth a study grant. Look at Robert Millar. What a nutjob!
You have to ask what comes first, the mental issues or road riding.
That's something that quite interests me actually samuri, not just road riders though – cyclists in general – there seem to be quite a few sufferers on here (myself included) and I do often ponder the correlation of being an introverted depressive loner and being cyclist – it does seem to go hand in hand!