Book Club. Ned Boulting - How I Won The Yellow Jumper

CiB

Saw this reviewed on the Grauniad bike blog a week or so ago, ordered it via Amazon ahead of its publication date and it arrived on Friday. Praise be to the joys of man-flu; I finished it last night with Bob Harris on on the wireless in the background - what great way to end a Saturday night. And what a great book - ITV's football hack-turned-cycling-expert Ned Boulting lifts the lid on ITV4's TdF coverage. There are no great exposes, no astonishing revelations about riders taking drugs, but it's a jolly good read and highly recommended, esp coming in at about the price of a nice bottle of red. Luckily, it's published just in time to whet the appetite for July's main event. What a stroke of luck eh...?

In a vague attempt at making a thread out of this, has anyone else got any reading recommendations for books with a cycling bias? I'm also working my way through Inside The Peleton by Graham Fife, but that's proving to be a bit more of a climb than Ned's missive.

jonginge

CiB wrote:

Saw this reviewed on the Grauniad bike blog a week or so ago, ordered it via Amazon ahead of its publication date and it arrived on Friday. Praise be to the joys of man-flu; I finished it last night with Bob Harris on on the wireless in the background - what great way to end a Saturday night. And what a great book - ITV's football hack-turned-cycling-expert Ned Boulting lifts the lid on ITV4's TdF coverage. There are no great exposes, no astonishing revelations about riders taking drugs, but it's a jolly good read and highly recommended, esp coming in at about the price of a nice bottle of red. Luckily, it's published just in time to whet the appetite for July's main event. What a stroke of luck eh...?

In a vague attempt at making a thread out of this, has anyone else got any reading recommendations for books with a cycling bias? I'm also working my way through Inside The peloton by Graham Fife, but that's proving to be a bit more of a climb than Ned's missive.

Excellent. 'tis in my amazon basket...

The Hour, Michael Hutchinson
French Revolutions, Tim Moore

Also want to look at the Fignon autobiography and the new Richard Moore one, Slaying the Badger

CiB

Have read French Revolutions a couple of times. That's a very good book.

Inside The Tour De France (author unknown, chanced upon it in the library a while ago) is another good read, documenting the Tour, le directeurs, and the big and not so big name riders from its inception through to the modern era, each chapter covering a small span of years. Very well written, engaging and nowhere near as dry as it could be. The description of the early tours, of the cheating, drug-taking, the near impassable mountain stages that used roads that sometimes didn't actually exist and so on, make it a very prescient read to judge the modern era by.

Lance's book "It's not about the bike!" is another one worth burying yourself in for a few evenings. I still didn't like the bloke even after reading his own autobiography, but that might be just me.

rjsterry

JonGinge wrote:

CiB wrote:

Saw this reviewed on the Grauniad bike blog a week or so ago, ordered it via Amazon ahead of its publication date and it arrived on Friday. Praise be to the joys of man-flu; I finished it last night with Bob Harris on on the wireless in the background - what great way to end a Saturday night. And what a great book - ITV's football hack-turned-cycling-expert Ned Boulting lifts the lid on ITV4's TdF coverage. There are no great exposes, no astonishing revelations about riders taking drugs, but it's a jolly good read and highly recommended, esp coming in at about the price of a nice bottle of red. Luckily, it's published just in time to whet the appetite for July's main event. What a stroke of luck eh...?

In a vague attempt at making a thread out of this, has anyone else got any reading recommendations for books with a cycling bias? I'm also working my way through Inside The peloton by Graham Fife, but that's proving to be a bit more of a climb than Ned's missive.

Excellent. 'tis in my amazon basket...

The Hour, Michael Hutchinson
French Revolutions, Tim Moore

Also want to look at the Fignon autobiography and the new Richard Moore one, Slaying the Badger

We Were Young And Carefree is a very good read. Really puts you 'there', sat on his shoulder.

Verbal

My copy of Slaying the Badger arrived the other day ready for my holiday reading pile (along with the Fignon book). Hoping my 2 year old will let me get through at least one of them!

kelsen

Thoroughly recommend 'The Rider' by Tim Krabbe. A first person account of a fictional road race that puts you into the psyche of a racer. A must for all you SCR'ers/wannabe Cat 1 racers out there!

edhornby

In Search of Robert Millar - by Richard Moore (IIRC)

very entertaining read although it's an unauthorised biography so don't assume anything to be correct.

suzyb

Purchased and being read on my phone using the kindle app. I think I could get into this...book on your phone so you don't need to make a point of taking it with you thing.

Stone Glider

Roule Britannia by William Fotheringham is good for the historical context of the current efforts by riders from these islands. Fignon's book is very direct and vivid. The Robert Millar book is full of stuff about the detail of a professional cyclist's life in those days. Some of it is quite squalid, all of it fascinating. The Michael Hutchinson book is another favourite.

tailwindhome

Recently read and enjoyed the Tom Simson book "Put me back on the bike"

Tried reading The Death of Marco Pantani but just couldn;t get into it....I should have tried harder but I read mostly at night in bed and sleep takes hold very quickly.


Years ago I read "A Man for all Seasons" and would recommend it.

Ands

I really enjoyed Chris Hoy's biography. I have struggled through the Death of Marco Pantani (still haven't finished it) but it is good in places. Not too sure why I found it hard going. French Revolutions is an enjoyable light-hearted read.

mtb-idle

Read and enjoyed 'The Hungry Cyclist' recently.

Basically a ride across North and South America sampling the local food along the way.

Very enjoyable read plus a basic map and colour pictures which i always find helpful to accompany a book like that.

French Revolutions is of course the classic but we've done that already.

CiB

edhornby wrote:

In Search of Robert Millar - by Richard Moore (IIRC)

very entertaining read although it's an unauthorised biography so don't assume anything to be correct.

+1. Very good read. Recommended.

lastant

Notice: Shameless plug to follow (but something I'm immensely proud of!)...

Having finished my LEJOG last year and blogging during the process, I decided to collate it with a selection of the pictures I took during the trip and the route maps.

Now...there's been difficulties with the distribution process, meaning the hard copies won't be available until next Tuesday (apparently), but in the meantime I decided to tag it up and release it on Kindle.

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from Amazon letting me know that they were going to be giving me some money. Thinking it was spam I ignored it, before remembering I'd got the book up on Kindle so had a look at my account...

...it only turns out people have been buying it. My book! No idea who (there's even been a few sales in the USA!), and there's yet to be a review, but it doesn't half put a bloody big smile on your face to see yourself jostling in and around the charts with Cavendish, Armstrong and Hoy!

Apologies for the 'plug', but it is something that makes me smile. Really looking forward to seeing the hard copies up on the site and available as and when they sort out the problems too...

Hot Orange

Congrats!

I would be interested in buying a hard copy (not kindled up yet). Beautiful cover photo.

As for the others, definitely +1 for Tim Moore's French Revolutions. It's one of the few books I've read more than once.

rjsterry

Interesting. I take it with the arrival of Kindle, self-publishing and reaching a wider audience (without a publishing house to do your marketing) has suddenly become a lot easier.

I've seen printing services advertised for self-publishers, but have always wondered how you would go about getting it distributed so people can buy it.

BTW, I've just had an email from Amazon about a new autobiography by David Millar promises to be full and frank of course, but who knows? Anyone got any advance knowledge of whether it's worth investigating?

Gussio

+1 for in search of Robert Millar

+1 for put me back on my bike

Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi by William Fotheringham is a great read. Post war Italy was a tough place and cycling (and Coppi) were massive.

Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage is interesting, a little bitter and very scary

lastant

Hot Orange wrote:

Congrats! I would be interested in buying a hard copy (not kindled up yet). Beautiful cover photo.

Sorry, another shameless self-plug...but my book's now available as a hard copy!

Hot Orange - Thank you. The photo's taken at the top of Kirkstone Pass and is possibly my favourite snap from the trip (it's now my desktop wallpaper too).

rjsterry - Publishing for Kindle is easy, ridiculously easy! Basically you just need to get a Word document tagged up properly with headings, paragraphs etc. and upload it. That's it!

Regarding distribution of self-published books I went through lulu.com - having designed it all myself I paid c.£50.00 to get it put onto the databases of Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc..

It's not the best way to do it if you're dreaming of making your millions, but it's certainly easy...and it's given me a chance to fulfil a dream of having a book published (albeit self-published!).

FoldingJoe

+1 for Slaying The Badger - finished it a few days ago and a good read.

Also recently finished Bad Blood which was a decent read.

Just re-reading a book I bought years ago called The Escape Artist by Matt Seaton which gives you an insight into the obsession of an amateur cyclist. Very good reading.

Kieran_Burns

lastant wrote:

Notice: Shameless plug to follow (but something I'm immensely proud of!)...

Having finished my LEJOG last year and blogging during the process, I decided to collate it with a selection of the pictures I took during the trip and the route maps.

Now...there's been difficulties with the distribution process, meaning the hard copies won't be available until next Tuesday (apparently), but in the meantime I decided to tag it up and release it on Kindle.

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from Amazon letting me know that they were going to be giving me some money. Thinking it was spam I ignored it, before remembering I'd got the book up on Kindle so had a look at my account...

...it only turns out people have been buying it. My book! No idea who (there's even been a few sales in the USA!), and there's yet to be a review, but it doesn't half put a bloody big smile on your face to see yourself jostling in and around the charts with Cavendish, Armstrong and Hoy!

Apologies for the 'plug', but it is something that makes me smile. Really looking forward to seeing the hard copies up on the site and available as and when they sort out the problems too...

I remember your blogs and thoroughly enjoyed them, so a couple of quid to show my appreciation (via my Kindle) seems a small price to pay!

Now purchased, and I will give you a slating on the review page

clarkey cat

The Escape Artist - Matt Seaton

winterdancer

'Full Tilt: From Ireland to India with a bicycle' by Dervla Murphy is a great read. Dervla Murphy left Ireland in the winter of 1963 and cycled on her own across Europe, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan into India. I read it feeling that she must be more than a little sad now to see those places she loved travelling through, and where she was treated so well, in such a bad state. She's still going strong, btw, a great ad for cycling!

Wrath Rob

French Revolutions. Pretty funny read about a guy who one day seemingly at random decides to ride the route of the TdF. Made me laugh out loud at quite a few points and I definitely identified with the journey of someone new to (proper) cycling going from first steps to becoming a seasoned rider.

clarkey cat

WR - the sentence about 'morosely annointing my testicles like a one-man stag party' made me snot myself on a busy train

sufferingpete

Read and enjoyed 'The Hungry Cyclist' recently.

Basically a ride across North and South America sampling the local food along the way.

Very enjoyable read plus a basic map and colour pictures which i always find helpful to accompany a book like that.

An odd concept for a book.
A book that I would not have picked up and thought to read.

However it is one of the best I have read for ages and I recommend it.

CiB

lastant wrote:

Hot Orange wrote:

Congrats! I would be interested in buying a hard copy (not kindled up yet). Beautiful cover photo.

Sorry, another shameless self-plug...but my book's now available as a hard copy!

Delivery scheduled for 23-25th June. Better be good sonny; I don't give up 4.99 for any old tat y'know.

MaxwellBygraves

Another +1 for We were young and carefree.

Bowden2017

Just finished Wide Eyed and Legless. Worth a read. Makes you realise what legend Malcolm Elliot is. Rode the TDF in 1987 and still going strong>
Also very much enjoying Ned Boultings Yellow Jumper

CiB

CiB wrote:

lastant wrote:

Hot Orange wrote:

Congrats! I would be interested in buying a hard copy (not kindled up yet). Beautiful cover photo.

Sorry, another shameless self-plug...but my book's now available as a hard copy!

Delivery scheduled for 23-25th June. Better be good sonny; I don't give up 4.99 for any old tat y'know.

Gotta love Amaz... err on-line book sellers. Others are available, I expect. Book was on the shelf when I rolled in tonight, easily 2 days ahead of schedule (book not me). A study in ignoring wife + sprogs either side of dinner tonight saw it done; have to say it's a good read start to finish and the appendii are excellent, especially the costs breakdown. It's still a lurking plot at the back of my mind to do this so the book is a good nudge, knowing how it breaks down day by day.

Buy it - it's less than a bottle of wine from Asda and more enjoyable. If our man lastant can go to the bother of publishing it, the least we can do is buy it and wallow in the experience.

Good one lastant. Top marks.

lastant

CiB wrote:

Good one lastant. Top marks.

Aww...shucks! :oops:

Thank you for the kind words, they really do mean a lot - and whilst you've got through it fairly quickly (as have a couple of others I know who have bought it), I'd like to think that there's enough there to justify the price. Going through lulu.com and keeping the RRP low the royalties are pennies, so I'm never going to be up there with J.K. Rowling et al, but if I can make just a couple of people smile, or help a few make their minds up as to whether or not they want to tackle something like LEJOG it'll have been worth it!

I'm glad the Appendii were useful (as I mention in them, there are a fair number of blogs etc., but not a lot actually say how much they spent...and it's a little scary what it can run to to be honest!). Had to include the full food list in there if only to show people you don't have to be eating like an athlete to complete the trip...and I wasn't eating like an athlete!

Finally I'd just like to say how impressed I am at the speed of that. Basically a book has been ordered, printed, distributed and received in a matter of days - that's staggering to think about!

gattocattivo

I finished the Boulting book about a week ago and, while I enjoyed it, it didn't seem to have been proof read. There were various errors (wrong word / sentence repeated) with the text and some of the facts were just wrong. I can't remember all of them, but the most striking one was his description of Wiggins heroically rolling in at the top of the Verbier climb and how it wasn't covered on TV because the French President was suddenly interviewed instead. Now I wasn't there and I haven't written a book about it, but I'm 99.9% certain this is wrong. I'm pretty sure the Sarkozy interview obscuring the arrival of Wiggins was a day or two later, I think the stage where the two Schlecks and Contador came home first, then Armstrong and maybe Nibali (who had made up a lot of ground on the descent) and then Wiggins was a bit further back but we didn't get to see him.