Road Cycling Auto/biography's

harrydaisy

Can anyone recommend any road cycling bio or autobiography's for summer holiday reading:

I have read the excellent:

In search of Robert Millar
Laurent Fignon - we were young and carefree
Michael Hutchinson - the hour

And the ok:

The death of Marco Pantani
Lance Armstrong - the worlds greatest champion

Particually interested in any Eddie Mercx bios.....

roypsb

David Millar's book Racing Through the Dark is excellent

Just finished Bjare Riis Stages of light & Dark - quite good

Not a biography but loved Ned Boulting's How I Won the Yellow Jumper

Slaying the Badger - very good

Sussed out

I'm reading the eddy mercx biography at the moment and it's quite hard going... You have to have an interest and or knowledge of cyclists who were popular in Belgium in the 60's/70's.
Saying that I'm not too far through so it might pick up.

me-109

23 Days in July - Lance Armstrong (though I can't remember the name of the journo writer)
Paul Kimmage - can't remember the title, for an eye opener about drug use in the sport
Sean Kelly (A Man For All Seasons?) - loads of good pictures

e999sam

The Full Cycle, by Vin Denson

harrydaisy

Great thanks will look at picking a few of these up...any others?

dabber

Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi ... an excellent read.

shouldbeinbed

The kimmage book is Rough Ride.

Put me back on my bike, about Tom Simpson is good.

I'm enjoying Boy Racer & William Fotheringham's Merckx book at the mo.

I binned Slaying the Badger half way through, there's only so many samey anecdotes I can take. 150 pages less & it'd be great

springtide9

Not an auto... but a good read...

A Race for Madmen: A History of the Tour de France

rubertoe

Wide eyed and Legless.

Excellent read about the ANC Halfords team in the 87 (IIRC) tour.

Frank the tank

Fallen angel (the passion of Fausto Coppi) by Will Fotheringham.

Also by WF Put me back on my bike (Tom Simpson)

dabber

Frank the tank wrote:

Fallen angel (the passion of Fausto Coppi) by Will Fotheringham.

Also by WF Put me back on my bike (Tom Simpson)

It's interesting that the Put me back on my bike (Tom Simpson) book always gets highly recommended.
I've just finished reading it and wasn't so impressed. It was OK but I thought there was an awful lot of padding and repetition. It was still worth reading but I thought what needed to be said could been done a lot more concisely.

The Coppi book .. yes, a really good read and tells the tale not only of Coppi's exploits but give an interesting insight into Italian attitudes of the time.

Frank the tank

Dabber wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

Fallen angel (the passion of Fausto Coppi) by Will Fotheringham.

Also by WF Put me back on my bike (Tom Simpson)

It's interesting that the Put me back on my bike (Tom Simpson) book always gets highly recommended.
I've just finished reading it and wasn't so impressed. It was OK but I thought there was an awful lot of padding and repetition. It was still worth reading but I thought what needed to be said could been done a lot more concisely.

The Coppi book .. yes, a really good read and tells the tale not only of Coppi's exploits but give an interesting insight into Italian attitudes of the time.

My take on it was that the repetition was there because WF is relaying the accounts of several people. I'm thinking of getting another of his books Roulle Britania about Brits in the TdF.

dabber

I've just ordered "Merckx: Half man, half bike" by WF and I've got " Sex, Lies and handlebar tape (Jacques Anquetil)" for some reading once I'm back in France for the summer.

harrydaisy

Great these all sound great. Thanks

Beatmaker

Several books mentioned above are fantastic, in particular I loved Racing Through the Dark and Put Me Back On My Bike. Also well worth a read is Breaking The Chain by Will Voet, the Festina soigneur who was caught with the teams drugs at the 98 tour and brought down the team. The Rider by Tim Krabbe is a great read, though not really an autobiography in the strictest sense (it is loosely based on his own cycling experiences) its a great insight into the mind of a bike racer. A Dog In a Hat by Joe Parkin is a humorous and honest account of professional cycle racing from a time when being an American pro racing in Belgium didn't necessarily bring fame, wealth and adulation.

pak-man

+1 on David Millar, Racing Through The Dark. Just finished, very good.
Also recommend Boy Racer, Mark Cavendish.

Herbsman

In Pursuit Of Stardom- Le Velo Nomades Anglais by Tony Hewson

andyrr

Allan Peiper auotbiog was one I really liked and have re-read - something I rarely do.

rdt

Good stuff I've read, already mentioned by others above:-

Slaying the Badger
Wide-Eyed and Legless
The Rider
Rough Ride

plus a couple not mentioned so far:-

"Need for the Bike", by Paul Furnel
"Tomorrow, We Ride" by Jean Bobet, a beautiful book IMO.

I'm in the market for some summer reading, so am interested in any quality cycling books, not just biographies, so any further suggestions would be appreciated!

calmx5

Not a really a biography but loved Ned Boulting's How I Won the Yellow Jumper, a very funny read
and Half Man, half bike (Merckx) was also good

cmt

Just ordered "The Flying Scotsman" - Graeme Obree

Will report back when i'm part way through it....

andy_wrx

I'll add 'The Escape Artist' - Matt Seaton : the first half is so real as a racing cyclist, then the latter half makes you think a bit

'The Rider' by Tim Krabbe is brilliant - best cycling book I've ever read.
'In Search of Robert Millar' is great, and enjoyed 'Sex Lies and Handlebar Tape' about Anquetil

The recent Hoy & Cavendish ghosted auto-biogs are potboilers, the Wiggins one a bit better, but wouldn't recommend any of them unless you're a particular fan of that rider

jedigav

I've read quite a few.It's not about the bike being the 1st.One of my favourites was Lance Armstrong Tour de Force by Daniel Coyle. There is obviously a lot about Armstrong but also about other riders & their differing styles & approach such as Ullrich,Vinokourov,Hamilton etc. I read it about 4-5 years ago so it is of that era but I really enjoyed it & it was easy to read.Put me back on my bike(the Tom Simpson book) was also good, i really want the new Eddy Merckx one/Half man,half bike.Another I enjoyed was We might as well win by Johan Bruyneel.

roypsb

jedigav wrote:

I've read quite a few.It's not about the bike being the 1st.One of my favourites was Lance Armstrong Tour de Force by Daniel Coyle. There is obviously a lot about Armstrong but also about other riders & their differing styles & approach such as Ullrich,Vinokourov,Hamilton etc. I read it about 4-5 years ago so it is of that era but I really enjoyed it & it was easy to read.Put me back on my bike(the Tom Simpson book) was also good, i really want the new Eddy Merckx one/Half man,half bike.Another I enjoyed was We might as well win by Johan Bruyneel.

Agree 100% re: Tour de Force. Whatever you think of Armstrong, it is still a very good read.

giant_man

cmt wrote:

Just ordered "The Flying Scotsman" - Graeme Obree

Will report back when i'm part way through it....

The film was good too ...

cmt

giant man wrote:

cmt wrote:

Just ordered "The Flying Scotsman" - Graeme Obree

Will report back when i'm part way through it....

The film was good too ...

Thats what made me want to read the book. I also enjoyed "Battle of the Bikes" - a documentary from the 90's that was originally on channel 4.

Frank the tank

Just started the Ned Boulting book, it's a hard one to put down and amusing.

harrydaisy

Thanks for all the comments on this thread, since posting I have read some great cycling books:

Tyler Hamilton - the secret race : the book of the moment a fantastic read from beginning to end, he comes across very well and of course lance as a total c@@t. Whatever your view on doping and Mr Armstrong its a must read.

Paul Kimmage - rough ride: Kimmage definately comes across as an also ran, he's was very negative about his career and obviously realised that he just did not have the natural talent. However his stance on doping has to be admired and again it's a great read that I did not want to put down. I think he has another good book in him about the period from 1990 till now, once he has sorted his legal problems with the UCI out!

Jeff Connor - wide eyed and leg less: ok read, makes the ANC halfords team sound like a shambles but would have been an eye opener at time of publishing.

Richard Moore - slaying the badger - this guy can write, his Robert Millar book was fantastic but this is a great read, as someone new to the pro side of the sport it really gives a fantastic slice of tour history, it made me feel like being back in 86. Was this one of the last times the tour was clean and there was real drama. I went out and bought a La Vie Claire retro top on the back of this book! Highly recommended

David Millar -racing through the dark: really enjoyed the book and although a doper Millar does come across as intelligent and articulate. However I wonder if he had not got caught would he be the person he is today? His positioning of himself recently in the press, tweeting all the time, his open letter to Rabobank is all a little contrite...not sure if I like him or not but it's a great book and well worth a read.


William Fotheringham - put me back on my bike - I know that Fotheringham is well respect but I found this a tough read, perhaps it's my age (late 30's) but his writing style has no grip, it's measured and matter of fact.

William Fotheringham - Merckx : again should have been a great read, the best cyclist to have ever lived but I found it boring in places. Come on Richard Moore bring out a Merckx book!!!

Herbsman

Read Tony Hewson's book!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pursuit-Stardom ... 1874739412