Best books on cycling?

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  • cajun_cyclist
    cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
    It's not a racing book but I saw this new book out, relatively new, "Cycling home from Siberia", good reviews for it too. Good reviews but you know, there are a number of your travelogue type cycling books out there, cyclist talks about his experiences on the road, etc. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/se ... ob-lilwall Amazon gives mostly good reviews, seems relatively popular. I'd read it if it were in the library.
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    Italian Racing Bicycles: The People, The Products, The Passion

    Publisher: VeloPress (1 Sep 2011)
    Language English
    ISBN-10: 193403066X
    ISBN-13: 978-1934030660

    Decent Review here.. http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.c ... eview.html
    cartoon.jpg
  • Moomaloid
    Moomaloid Posts: 2,040
    New Merckx book by William Fotheringham on Amazon this week... That and the McEwen for my holiday i think!
  • mm1
    mm1 Posts: 1,063
    Need for the Bike by Paul Fournel and Tomorrow we Ride by Jean Bobet (Louison Bobet's brother); both books offer a very personal meditation on the pleasures and pains of cycling. Nothing written in English, except perhaps some of Patrick Brady's blog posts (Belgian Knee Warmers and Red Kite Prayer), get close to the emotional depth of these outstanding meditations on the sport. Not going to give any spoilers (some of Fournel's stuff has been in Rouleur), you must read both.

    A few have mentioned Joe Parkin; Roadie by Jamie Smith offers an amusing American perspective on the life of an ordinary club level bikie.
  • cajun_cyclist
    cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
    Since amazon sells 'some' used books at a very low price, I was checking out what they have.

    Here is one that seems more aimed to women I thought some might find of interest. Sounds interesting "Cycling, Men and Wine" . If you search in books for Tour De France, you get pages and pages that come up.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cycling-Wine-Me ... 1600378277
    http://www.amazon.com/Cycling-Wine-Men- ... 83&sr=1-51

    In concept, it sounds a bit similar to "French Evolutions" though I don't know if the author is following the actual route of the Tour.
  • Moomaloid
    Moomaloid Posts: 2,040
    Need some help guys. Anyone know where i can get a copy of this...
    One Way Road: The Autobiography of Robbie McEwen

    Tried to order it on Amazon and they've given me a delivery date of after 25th Dec. I want it for my Hol's on 18th Dec...
  • Moomaloid
    Moomaloid Posts: 2,040
    ok forget that, its now saying not yet published. Thought this was coming in November!
  • KnightOfTheLongTights
    KnightOfTheLongTights Posts: 1,415
    Just finished Matt Seaton's Escape Artist - not bad.

    It's a decent enough account of the life - sporting and domestic - of a pretty serious amateur racer, with some interesting insights and ruminations on why people put themselves through what it takes to ride a bike fast over distance.

    Bit short on humour though.
  • cajun_cyclist
    cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
    KnightOfTheLongTights wrote:
    Just finished Matt Seaton's Escape Artist - not bad.

    It's a decent enough account of the life - sporting and domestic - of a pretty serious amateur racer, with some interesting insights and ruminations on why people put themselves through what it takes to ride a bike fast over distance.

    Bit short on humour though.

    Is this the book that was about the guy that was a crook?? That is suppose to be a good book too.
  • cajun_cyclist
    cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
    For only posting costs practically, I went ahead and ordered the Bobke II book.
  • zippypablo
    zippypablo Posts: 398
    cajun_cyclist wrote:
    KnightOfTheLongTights wrote:
    Just finished Matt Seaton's Escape Artist - not bad.

    It's a decent enough account of the life - sporting and domestic - of a pretty serious amateur racer, with some interesting insights and ruminations on why people put themselves through what it takes to ride a bike fast over distance.

    Bit short on humour though.

    Is this the book that was about the guy that was a crook?? That is suppose to be a good book too.


    I think the crook one is "Olympic Gangster" by Matt Rendell.
    Not read it so don't know if it's any good.
    If suffer we must, let's suffer on the heights. (Victor Hugo).
  • steviedonut
    steviedonut Posts: 69
    KnightOfTheLongTights wrote:
    cajun_cyclist 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.


    glad im not the only one who thought this about "the death of marco pantani".im a pretty voracious reader and its very rare that i give up on a book but after 50 pages of this i decided i really wasnt enjoying the read.
    my recomendations would be "the search for robert millar",david millers autobiog,"rough ride","a dog in a hat" and "the eagle of the canavese".oh,and "the flying scotsman"
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Olympic Gangster is a great read - post-war cycling was pretty tough and Jose was nails. The second half is more about his life after cycling in Columbia which pretty well confirmed his reputation.

    Matt Seaton's book is a good, honest story - he's still riding and racing for London Cycle Sport
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    Not Strictly cycling (ha!ha!) but I've got Matt Rendell's book on trying to learn Salsa (see the link, yet? Get it?) out of the library. Got to finish something else first (Agent ZigZag) before I read it.
    'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
    Neil Gaiman
  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    I've just finished this and have struggled to read it. All I can say is 'how can a book on dance be so dry?'. Perhaps the author should get himself on next year's Strictly to change my opinion. :wink:
    'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
    Neil Gaiman
  • cajun_cyclist
    cajun_cyclist Posts: 493
    Bob Roll's Bobke or Bobke II, he says that is his name in Belgium is light reading, not a real plot, more like diary entries, some of it is real funny.

    Example:
    July 3 (1990)
    Stage 4, Nantes- Mont St. Michel, 203 km

    Nice day and a bonus totally because we kept the jersey. All right! I ate it heavily due to a bonehead standing in the road-as will happen more often than not in wonderful France. What happened is that Gianni Bugno swerved to avoid the wandering Frenchman, taking out my front wheel and causing me to crash. My bike flipped up in the air and hit Sean Kelly in the ear. I had some explaining to do when Kelly gave me ____ the next day. Other than that, another good day for the homeheads. I was just b.s.-ing with Greg Lemond, and he said, "Hey Bob, I saw you asking an Italian yesterday how many guys were in the break, and you had one finger up, and it looked like you were about to pound his face." Whoa. I thought to myself. Greg is watching what I do, and asking me about it the next day in the freaking Tour de France! Holy Cats! I don't even believe it!

    Typed that verbatim, not sure if I would have put in all of those commas he does, 'nuff said, there might be something quotable in here at some point.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    Suspect this is everyone's 2022 Must Read

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    He's been writing that for as long as George RR Martin has been writing the latest Game of Thrones book
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    Poor Jan keeps adding chapters... 😕
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Few chapters into the Ullrich book but I do like the way he writes. Is good.

    If you’re less interested in sociological segues or details on some of their interviews then perhaps avoid - it’s not trying to be an encyclopaedia of Jan and is quite self aware.
    _
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,719
    I have been working my way through the https://lacourseentete.com/ year books and they are really good.

    If you can get your head around them being a collective of blog posts then you will really enjoy them.

    Cheaper than the road book as well, sorry Ned !
    http://fendrieneu.home.blog
    My blog and pod...
    Beers of Belgium Cycling Club UK
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    End to end, by Paul Jones, the obsession of the LeJog record... a bit of obscure history of cycling in this land... very well written
    https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9780349144078?gC=5a105e8b&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiPFvlkSYWvh--bOxZXKF_0YKUxeofm4U8b7gXhNw1EbU-D4FANHIX8aAgAnEALw_wcB


    left the forum March 2023
  • awmpedalstory
    awmpedalstory Posts: 2
    Bicycle readers are enjoying
    Allegiance to Winds and Waters: Bicycling the Political Divides of the United States
    which chronicles a 12,000 mile ride around the contiguous perimeter of the US.
    annewinklermorey.com
  • awmpedalstory
    awmpedalstory Posts: 2


  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,450
    ddraver said:

    Suspect this is everyone's 2022 Must Read

    Friebe's Ulrich book is currently 99p on Kindle

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