Cycling books

MaxwellBygraves

I have just finished reading We were young and carefree by Laurent Fignon (great book) and On Tour by Bradley Wiggins and have now want to read more. Anyone got any recommendations?

seanoconn

In search of Robert Miller is a good read. If search the forum for books you'll find lots of good recommendations.

sungod

a dog in a hat - joe parkin

Hoopdriver

The Hour by Michael Hutchinson and The Rider by Tim Krabbe

magoo289

Just finished Death of Marco Pantini - opened my eyes!
Half way through reading 'The Hour' - v good and well written.
+1 for Robert Millar
Also recommend Sex, Lies, Handlebar Tape: Jacques Anquetil, Fallen Angel: Fausto Coppi, We Ride Together - Jean Bobet.

brucey72

Boy Racer by Cavendish was a very good read. I have just finished the Wiggins book and enjoyed the Cav book more.

Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage was a very good read as was The Flying Scotsman by G Obree (so much better than the film) and as someone else has said The Death of Marco Pantani is a real eye opener. I'm half way through In Search of Robert Millar and would highly recommend it too.

On a slightly different note The Man Who Cycled the World by Mark Beaumont was a fascinating read as I somehow missed the TV series.

Put Me back on my Bike - In Search of Tom Simpson by William Fotheringham was the first cycling book I read and is a biography of arguably GB's greatest cyclist.

eiger30

French Revolutions by Tim Moore (about him riding the route of the 2000 tour on his own)

Put Me Back on My Bike

Fallen Angel by William Fotheringham

Tour de France by Graeme Fife

The Flying Scotsman

Garry H

In search of stardom - Tony Hewson

Wooliferkins

A Bike Ride. Anne Mustoe
Breaking the Chain. Willy Voet

ynyswen24

The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien.

AndyF16

eiger30 wrote:

French Revolutions by Tim Moore (about him riding the route of the 2000 tour on his own

That had me laughing out loud in places, the Beaumont book is good as is Put Me Back On My Bike and Fallen Angel, but I was disappointed with A Dog In A Hat to be honest

G-Wiz

Olympic Gangster. Only about half is about cycling, but very entertaining. Did you know Pablo Escobar once sponsored a cycling team?

oscarbudgie

'Wide Eyed & Legless' was voted best cycling book ever in one poll. That's ridiculous but still worth looking out for as its a fairly good read. 'Bad Blood' best book for the depressing stuff. I enjoyed 'Roule Brittania' Cav's & Wiggo's books but Fignon got on my nerves after a while. Pantani and Coppi books are two of the best written. French Revolutions is the funniest. Excluding Lancelit and the many picture books and histories of the Tour its actually fairly easy to have read most of the stuff currently available on competetive cycling. I'd like to read Sean Kelly's book - anyone read it?

flanners1

David Walsh's 'Kelly'? Yes I have a paperback copy quite a good read tbh, you can pick it up secondhand via amazon. Jeez just looked one on there for £30 in paperback!!! Cripes. Tis a good book but not worth that.

Best cycling books currently for me

Its all about the bike- Rob Penn
From Lance to Landis- Walsh

All time fave:

Matt Seaton - Escape Artist lives and cycles near me so it has even more relevance, simply a stunning book, the way he describes the 'need' to cycle in the opening chapter is uplifting.

bam49

'One More Kilometre and We're In The Showers ' by Tim Hilton...
funny title but brilliant book, v well written...

ratsbeyfus

Flanners1 wrote:

All time fave:

Matt Seaton - Escape Artist lives and cycles near me so it has even more relevance, simply a stunning book, the way he describes the 'need' to cycle in the opening chapter is uplifting.

+1 A really good book.

StanwaySteve62

Just read Robert Penns ' All about the bike' some interesting bits but boy does he repeat himself

Hoopdriver

I found the same with Penn's book. And surprisingly little sense of what made that bike he was building uniquely personal to him. Why did he choose that kind of bike (essentially a racing bike) instead of, say, a mountain bike or a tourer, when from what he says about himself he did a lot of touring, and then devotes quite a chunk of the book to his big day out on a renown mountain bike course, with various mountain biking gods, while he's in California having his wheel built by another famous mountain biker.

It made me wonder why he wasn't building a work-of-art uniquely personal milestone mountain bike

It kind of lost me.

StanwaySteve62

got fed up of him repeating the history stuff, eg why mention the madison stuff twice ?

Hoopdriver

I am a writer myself; I think it was padded to length

zippypablo

has anyone read Tomorrow we Ride? Is it worth a look?

yakk

Hi there, read Tomorrow We Ride and really enjoyed it. Would have no trouble recommending it.
Yak

Ps already mentioned: In Persuit of Stardom - Tony Hewson, the Larent Fignon autobiography, French revolutions, Obree autobiog, In search of Robert Millar.

darren H

Tomorrow we ride is a good read. Like the bit in it about Louison having the first electric shaver for his legs.
Octave Lapize ( now there was an ace isnt bad either) both from Jean Bobet.

I will avidly admit I have been collecting Cycling books for about 15 years. I now have about 250 :shock:
Yeah a lot but theres worse things to collect.

Too many books to mention that are good.

greeny1

We Were Young and Carefree by Laurent Fignon a very good read as is The Rider by Tim Krabee

zippypablo

cheers Yakk and Darren, I'll pick up a copy. I've got a few books (not 250) and would recommend A Peiper's Tale, it's pretty good. I once read Freddy Maerten's book which is excellent but very rare. I borrowed it from someone who paid over £40 for it on ebay!

gingerdog

I have also read loads of cycling books. I enjoyed 'the man who cycled the world' but have just read Rob Lilwall's cycling home from siberia which is brilliant.

heathrow86

Just read Pocket Rocket, Steve Joughin autobiography, very good.