Best books on cycling?

Monty Zoncolan

I forgot this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Race-Madmen-Extraordinary-History-France/dp/0007321414/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308820213&sr=1-1

Probably the ideal time to read it, as a taster for the Tour.

Gooner69

Anybody got a copy of Wide Eyed and Legless for sale perchance?

Amazon states 2-3 months for delivery???

Fancy it for holidays in slightly less time than that.

Monty Zoncolan

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wide-Eyed-and-Legless-Inside-Tour-France-/160570919189?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item2562c5c915

On ebay.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/browse/book/isbn/9781845961718?utm_campaign=medifusion&utm_medium=api&utm_source=GB

Slightly cheaper retailer.

Gooner69

DUH! why didnt i check fleabay.

Thanks Monty, my holiday reading sorted 8)

FransJacques

I'm reading Herbie Sykes "Maglia Rosa" weighty tom.

It's a very good history of the organizers and the winners of the Giro. His research was good because he conducted many interview and he speaks very good italian which helped him get the story out of many who've not spoken to western journalists before.

It's very good up until the mid 80s when the book speeds up and my memory splices in as that's when I started to follow pro cycling so it's less interesting beacuse it's not all new.

What the riders did in the teens and 20s/30s is awe inspiring. More like daily 400km audaxes.

zammmmo

DeadCalm wrote:

Finished the David Millar book last night. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

+1

Reading this now - pretty funny but maybe not high-brow enough for some of you on here :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Won-Yellow- ... 022408335X

jimwin

I'n not read too many but...

The Death of Marco Pantani

is a well written and fascinating book. His intake of double espressos is beyond parody

- Jim

jerry3571

I have read about 8 or 9 cycling books and this one is my favourite-
-Jerry

babyjebus

Les Woodland's TdF Companion is just brilliant, witty, well written and far wider in scope than the title suggests. I dunno if it's been updated lately though.

babyjebus

Les Woodland's TdF Companion is just brilliant, witty, well written and far wider in scope than the title suggests. I dunno if it's been updated lately though.

Dunkeldog

Already mentioned but I'd say Kimmage's Rough Ride is an excellent read. The doping aspect is eye opening but the general suffering of a pro rider is fascinating. Loved Michael Hutchinson's The Hour too. If you like Hutch's column in Cycling Weekly this is for you.

cajun_cyclist

I'm reading Herbie Sykes "Maglia Rosa" weighty tom. - Frans Jacques

Also that book by John Foot on Italian Cycling, that was discussed in this forum too, Foot wrote a book on Italian football, that's about 700 pages and very good for the subject matter so if his cycling book is similar in nature, that should be very good.

oscarbudgie

Just finished Slaying the Badger and its definitely up there as one of the best ever cycling books I've read. I think the suggestions here have most of the available stuff covered although I don't think anyone's mentioned Put me back on my Bike. Also I saw that 'Cycling is my Life' is in print again but I've not read it yet. I found Hugh Porter's autobiography secondhand a few weks ago which may get read at some stage but reading the David Millar book is top of my "to do" list.
Does anyone know if Robert Millar's article in Rouleur which Moore quotes in Slaying the Badger is available online?

Monty Zoncolan

Which article is that? I've got a 'Rouler' collection with a Millar article on climbing. Is it that one?

oscarbudgie

Monty Zoncolan wrote:

Which article is that? I've got a 'Rouler' collection with a Millar article on climbing. Is it that one?

'Into the Valley' Issue 13

cajun_cyclist

This book . Fair used price: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pedalare-Histor ... 0747595216 384 pages. Here is a bit of a negative review but reading other reviews from this website, while well-meaning, I don't think they are too keen, it's just a blog after all. http://thewashingmachinepost.net/pedalare/review.html I'll have to read it and see. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/ma ... oot-review And this review. A new book.

This must be the Maglia Rosa discussed here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maglia-Rosa-Tri ... 481&sr=1-1 It looks like a primarily photo book and a bit on the expensive side. The reviewers say it is a Rouleur book.

It looks like by Bill McGann, there is a history of the Giro year by year as well. Pricey used, that is too bad about some cycling books, limited first printing, out-of-print, sometimes can be costly to obtain. That's why really, libraries are a great resource.

Stone Glider

Am readiing ;Pedalare! Pedalare! ATM. It is a bit wider in context than some cycling books, not just a list of events and results, as some tend to be. If you find Italy, the culture, politics, people and geography interesting; then there is a lot for you in this book.

In Search Of Robert Millar by Richard Moore is, probably, still my favourite book on professional cycling. It is an exceedingly good read.

e999sam

I’ve read three that stand out to me Lance Armstrong tour de force by Daniel Coyle was a great insight into professional cycling, Fallen Angel about Fausto Coppi by William Fotheringham was good and my favourite is The Full Cycle by Vin Denson a great story about a normal British clubman who went to France and rode with the best.
One I didn't think was very good was Bradley Wiggins didn't even get to the end.

john_kline

Surprised that nobody mentioned Hinault's book, Memories of The Peleton, lost count of the number of times I've read it, although it may now be out of print. As has already been said here, Hutch's book on the hour is an amusing read and Kimmage's Rough Ride is also very good.

Monty Zoncolan

I was put in mind of this thread when I saw a piece in last Sunday's Observer:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jul/03/cycling-books-roundup-david-millar

The emphasis is on new releases obviously but may be enough to persuade someone to part with the readies.

ms_tree

I've just got Millar's out of library plus one on Cadel so will let you know when I have read them.

cajun_cyclist

The words just fall off the pages of that book "Fallen Angel" to me, I think it's rather fantastic, we will see how I think about it in a few months time, I haven't finished it but it is too bad and this is not a spoiler because I had vaguely heard about this that it seems obvious that the title hints towards possibly some affair Coppi had as leading to a fallen image, see this affair is even alluded to in the wiki Coppi bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fausto_Coppi as 'The woman in white', Giulia. But the book, the story is really cool and tells you a lot about the days back then. Fotheringham really writes something grand here imho. With the summer, other things start to go on so I haven't just concentrated on this book but I should. Also watching some of the Women's World Cup, England/France mañana, Germany/Japan a little later.

She and Coppi hugged and La Stampa printed a picture in which she was described as la dama in bianco di Fausto Coppi - the "woman in white".

I read some of this book "Pedaling to the ends of the world" about a quartet that biked close to around the world. Anyway, I would not want to judge any people prematurely, but the author of this book David Duncan said they did not get much help traversing the southernmost part of France but when they got to Italy, the people there were real animated in helping them and interested that they were doing this ride for some charity. The cycling clubs of Italy according to the author would help the 4 cyclists even ride out of the towns. So this underscores what I understand about Italy is that cycling, maybe in the past more, I don't know, but it seems to run deep into the culture, maybe even till today. All that said, I still get some mixed feelings about sports in Italy per football and some cycling personalities but the Coppi book is some sight better than what I've read on Pantani for certain, I've got to get Pedalare in due time, liking Foot's other book on Calcio.

KnightOfTheLongTights

cajun_cyclist wrote:

I'm reading Herbie Sykes "Maglia Rosa" weighty tom. - Frans Jacques

Also that book by John Foot on Italian Cycling, that was discussed in this forum too, Foot wrote a book on Italian football, that's about 700 pages and very good for the subject matter so if his cycling book is similar in nature, that should be very good.

Pedalare! Pedalare! A History of Italian Cycling: I'm a third of the way into it and it's very good indeed.

A couple of comments on other books: Matt Rendell's biog of Pantani ('The Death of ...'), I found more or less unreadable. I know this bloke has written a few books on cycling and seems to be liked, but this doesn't make me want to read anything else by him: awkward style, narrative doesn't flow at all, weirdly flat accounts of races, and tedious lists of results ...

Compared to, say, Fotheringham's biog of Simpson - which makes me want to read the Coppi book - it's poor.

inkyfingers

KnightOfTheLongTights wrote:

A couple of comments on other books: Matt Rendell's biog of Pantani ('The Death of ...'), I found more or less unreadable. I know this bloke has written a few books on cycling and seems to be liked, but this doesn't make me want to read anything else by him: awkward style, narrative doesn't flow at all, weirdly flat accounts of races, and tedious lists of results ...

Compared to, say, Fotheringham's biog of Simpson - which makes me want to read the Coppi book - it's poor.

From memory I found the first part of Rendell's Pantani book very enjoyable (his background and the story of his career), but towards the end it just got too wrapped up in the science of his drug taking become hard to read.

disgruntledgoat

I really enjoyed the Rendell book, thought it was one of the best books on cycling I'd ever read. Much better than his Chechu Rubiera/History of the Tour book.. far too much flowery prose in that.

Loved Slaying the Badger and In Search of Robert Millar and also Velo Press' Eddy Merckx: Greatest Cyclist of teh 21st Century.

One of my favourites and a bit different is Benjo Masso's The Sweat of the Gods exploring the relationship between cycling and the mediafrom the late 19th C to the present day.

Chris James

cajun_cyclist wrote:

I"Full cycle" by Van Denson I've wanted to read for awhile, like I said, there are too many obscure books to always go popular. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Full-Cycle-Vinc ... pd_sim_b_4 <---- Still this is only around 160 pages, that is why a full Tour history is usually a good book to read, whomever the author is is because there are a lot of pages, I've said it before, I like a book at least to be over 200 pages or you can finish it just like that, probably a real good story still.

I have read Full Cycle. I bought it partly because he was originally from Handbridge in Chester and grew up aorund the corner from my mum - in fact my mum went to school with his (younger) sister and often sees her out shopping.

It is a lovely book, strating with a byegone era of hostelling with saddlebags and monster club runs and time trials. Lots of time trials! It took a lot of gumption to uproot over to the continent to become a pro, and the life sounded hard (a bit like the early section of the Robert Millar book).

Anyway, I recommend it.'

thenumber8

"Tomorrow, We Ride" by Jean Bobet

http://www.rouleur.cc/tomorrow-we-ride

Fabulous book.

kev77

A race for madmen is absolute quality!

I use to recite parts of it to my misses, she could not believe how some of the riders lives ended up!

Drugs, being poor, mysterious deaths etc.

ms_tree

thenumber8 wrote:

"Tomorrow, We Ride" by Jean Bobet

http://www.rouleur.cc/tomorrow-we-ride

Fabulous book.

Yes I enjoyed this too but his one on Lapise I struggled with but that may have been the translation.

rovers69

I am surprised that no one has mentioned 'Breaking the Chain', by Willy Voet. It chronicles in dark detail the beginning of the EPO era. If a full and accurate understanding is required of what has happened to the sport over the last decade, it is essential reading.