Any good cycling books (biography, cycling history)

timothyw

An off the peg specialized for me would have bars too wide, no power cranks and wheels that past experience would suggest won't last 500 miles. Probably also wouldn't have my preferred gearing.

Plus an off the peg specialized is much more appealing to thieves, easier to move.

Plus I like assembling bikes, so getting someone else to do it loses part of the fun...

ugo.santalucia

TimothyW wrote:

An off the peg specialized for me would have bars too wide, no power cranks and wheels that past experience would suggest won't last 500 miles. Probably also wouldn't have my preferred gearing.

Plus an off the peg specialized is much more appealing to thieves, easier to move.

Plus I like assembling bikes, so getting someone else to do it loses part of the fun...

Mine was fine.
I can see the thief waiting outside the cafe for his favourite brand to appear... or breaking into your garage, but ignoring your obscure, yet expensive, branded bikes... I can really see that...

wiznaeme

Crescent wrote:

Very specific to a schoolboy hero of mine but "In search of Robert Millar" by Richard Moore is excellent.

One of my favourites too. Well written and occasionally very funny.

Tiesetrotter

Phil Gaimon's books are very good

daverow

1. The Death of Marco Pantani : Matt Rendell - Humbling and heartfelt objective journalism.

2. The Rider : Tim Krabbe : Fantastically written and, if you've ever raced, this will echo with you.

3. We were young and carefree - Laurent Fignon : You can smell the onions and garlic coming off the pages. FANTASTIQUE!

Honourable Mention: It's not about the bike : Lord Voldemort.

FWIW: I thought 'The Hour' by Michael Hutchinson was absolutely atrocious. I study in how to fail to prepare fro one of the hardest challenges of your life. from getting his training wrong to failing to ensure his equipment was accurately sized, it's a study in incompetence. No doubt a good rider, writer and denizen of the cycling community but a professional?... methinks not.

pnmorgan

Another vote for Phil Gaimon's books and French Revolutions by Tim Moore.

part time waster

A dog in a hat is my all time favorite. Seems quiet an honest account of pro riding in the 90's by an average American rider. He was still a pro Mind . Well done Joe Parkin . Lived his dream

shiznit76

George Hincapie's is actually quite good.

G's and Peter Sagan's were terrible

ugo.santalucia

daverow wrote:

FWIW: I thought 'The Hour' by Michael Hutchinson was absolutely atrocious. I study in how to fail to prepare fro one of the hardest challenges of your life. from getting his training wrong to failing to ensure his equipment was accurately sized, it's a study in incompetence. No doubt a good rider, writer and denizen of the cycling community but a professional?... methinks not.

No doubt you would have done better. I think he made quite clear things didn't go his way all along... logistics weren't simple... but as I said, I'm sure you would have done a better job of it, your palmares speaks for itself.
The book is very good, I read it twice, passed it on to friends who all enjoyed it

plymouthsteve

I actually enjoyed 'the world according to G' Great that he doesn't take himself too seriously and made me a bit of a fan.
Lance Armstrongs It's not about the bike was a good read, and story about he won many tours clean. . I'm told that Amazon reclassified it as fiction. .ouch!!

chippyk

Both Mark Beaumont’s books are good.
Wegelius, Hincapie, Tyler Hamilton and Millar’s books are all good.
Away from Pro cycling I enjoyed Eat Sleep Cycle, read it on one flight to LAX.

ugo.santalucia

ChippyK wrote:

Both Mark Beaumont’s books are good.

I should give them a go... I never warmed to Beaumont and I don't know why, as in principle he should be my kind of cycling hero. Maybe I just have a problem of principle with the all "around the world" challenge, I think

crescent

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Crescent wrote:

Rob Penn's "It's all about the bike" is a good read - it inspired me to build my own bike. I think there is a short film based on it as well.

Whis is awaste of time...

It may have been a waste of your time. I enjoyed it. Almost as much as building my own bike.

chippyk

ugo.santalucia wrote:

ChippyK wrote:

Both Mark Beaumont’s books are good.

I should give them a go... I never warmed to Beaumont and I don't know why, as in principle he should be my kind of cycling hero. Maybe I just have a problem of principle with the all "around the world" challenge, I think

For me, especially the first book, was less about the cycling and more about the journey.

rdt

In Pursuit of Stardom: Les Nomades du Velo Anglais by Tony Hewson.

Up there with the best cycling books I've ever read.

spencerpankow

'the badger' bernard hinault and the fall and rise of french cycling by William Fotheringham, great book and a great insight into french cycling

spencerpankow

Also try 'alpe d'huez' by peter cossins, a great book about the mountain through the history of cycling particularly why its called the dutch mountain

meursault

Ben6899 wrote:

There's also "Ventoux" - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16000713-ventoux

And Bjarne Riis' autobiography is a bit of an insight into Narcissistic Personality Disorder...

Ordered both these and The Stasi one, thanks.

meursault

meursault wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

There's also "Ventoux" - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16000713-ventoux

And Bjarne Riis' autobiography is a bit of an insight into Narcissistic Personality Disorder...

Ordered both these and The Stasi one, thanks.

I've just finished



Thought it was excellent. Read over the weekend in a couple of sittings. Particularly liked all the mountain geographical descriptions and recollections of the author. Loads of historical race and non race stuff too. Only slight criticism was his zealous anti-doping sections, but that's only because I'm in the not cheating/don't care about doping camp. Purely opinions. Excellent read, highly recommended.

Harry182

Just finished Jonathan Vaughters’ book.

Not without its flaws but straightforward, unapologetic, insightful and honest - much like, I assume, the author himself.

Great insights into what it takes (and tolls) to be an aspiring amateur, pro, team manager, man/adult/human.

Recommended.

meursault

Harry182 wrote:

Just finished Jonathan Vaughters’ book.

Not without its flaws but straightforward, unapologetic, insightful and honest - much like, I assume, the author himself.

Great insights into what it takes (and tolls) to be an aspiring amateur, pro, team manager, man/adult/human.

Recommended.

Cheers, will give this a go. Seems a controversial individual but I'm a big fan of his team.

rnath

William Fotheringham’s “Put Me Back On My Bike” about Tom Simpson and “Fallen Angel” about Coppi. The latter would be a great follow up to the Bartali book you’ve just read?

pottssteve

Agree with those people who recommended We Were Young and Carefree by Fignon and Tomorrow We Ride by Bobet, both excellent. David Millar's are also very good. However, The Rider by Tim Krabbe is quite possibly the finest book ever written about cycling.

homers_double

The death of Marco Pantani was one of my favorite reads and I've just finished "the secret race" which was also quite honest and insightful.