Cycling Books

roadhouse,you might try these two:"The Stroy of the Tour de France-Volume 1:1903-1964" by Bill&Carol McGann.also "Miles from Nowhere"by Barbara Savage.

roadhouse said:

can anyone recommend some good cycling books and not nutritional or training but by riders with insight to their lives and as it pertains to racing? scandalous is a plus.

prety good read ;rough ride; byb paul kimage who is an irish cylist from the eighties insight in to the doping etc of the time aswell as his exspiercences of the tour and the hardships involved ....

This one about Jacques Anquetil is worth reading

www.cyclingnews.com - the world centre of cycling

limerickman said:

This one about Jacques Anquetil is worth reading

www.cyclingnews.com - the world centre of cycling

Anquetil's story certainly fits the "scandalous" requirement.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tim-Krabbe/dp/1582342903/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280532297&sr=1-1"]The Rider[/ame] by Tim Krabbe is fiction, but one of my favorite books. And it's short, too, if that matters. IMO it gives more insight than many fact-based books I've read.

I've seen two books on Major Taylor, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Major-Black-Athlete-Worlds-Fastest/dp/0307236595/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280532672&sr=1-2"]this is the one I read[/ame]; pretty fascinating, I thought, on a few levels - gives a history of the development of the bicycle, a sports bio, and a tale of a black man becoming a champion in early-19th century America, something you wouldn't think would have been "allowed."

As a bit of a clyde myself, I also liked Mike Magnuson's [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Heft-Wheels-Field-Guide-Doing/dp/1400052416/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280532903&sr=1-1]Heft on Wheels[/ame].

Bill Strickland's [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Points-Bill-Strickland/dp/1401302580/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280532961&sr=1-1]Ten Points[/ame] has some pretty jaw-dropping revelations in it, as well.

Obviously Magnuson and Strickland aren't "name" cyclists but both books are really great reads.

How Many Hills to Hillsboro is a good 'light' read on cycling.

roadhouse said:

can anyone recommend some good cycling books and not nutritional or training but by riders with insight to their lives and as it pertains to racing? scandalous is a plus.

Y'know, Joe Parkin wrote two books - Dog In A Hat, about racing in Belgium, and Come and Gone, about racing in the post-LeMond, pre-Lance US scene, and while they're competently written, they're just both kinda...there. Not poorly written, but Parkin doesn't really bring much sizzle to it; overall the breakdown of the two is "I raced bikes in Europe and the US and it was okay."

But you might find something in them I didn't.

roadhouse said:

can anyone recommend some good cycling books and not nutritional or training but by riders with insight to their lives and as it pertains to racing? scandalous is a plus.

David Bynes Bicycle Diary's. David was the front man of the Talking Heads you may relate to his writing style.😎

i heard Fignon's book is going to be (or is already) translated,
that one has the angle you want

From the snippets I've seen, Mark Cavendish's book "Boy Racer" is one to read. I was hoping this would be on iBooks already but alas no...

... will have to visit the book store for this one.

I just read John L Parker's [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Once-Runner-John-L-Parker/dp/0915297019"]Once a Runner[/ame]. Yeah, it's about running, not riding, but I think that a lot of the race stuff in the book applies pretty closely to cycling; after all, it isn't as if they're completely unrelated disciplines.

Aside from the running/cycling angle, it's just a really good book with some fun characters in it.

vspa said:

i heard Fignon's book is going to be (or is already) translated,
that one has the angle you want

already out. translation by w. fotherinham. saw excerpts printed online somewhere and either w.f. has a good comedic sense or l.f. is one witty racer. (given l.f.'s nickname was the professor as much for his look as his intelligence, i'd figure fotheringham had good material to translate.)

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Masked-Rider-Cycling-West-Africa/dp/1550226657/ref=pd_sim_b_3"]The Masked Rider[/ame] by Neil Peart offers a different view, and is a fascinating read.

i'm his fan in music as a drummer and lyrics' writer but Neil Peart writes about Motorbikes trips, nothing to do with cycling.

vspa said:

i'm his fan in music as a drummer and lyrics' writer but Neil Peart writes about Motorbikes trips, nothing to do with cycling.

Apparently you haven't read all of Peart's book offerings.😉 The book I listed is indeed relevant to cycling, I even hotlinked the title if you want more info. It is a fascinating read about a 30 day cycling tour through West Africa.

Good suggestions, thanks. Now I gotta find the time to get to a book store and then the time to read a book or two.

A biography of Shay Elliott has just been published which may be of interest:

Shay Elliott - The Life and Death of Ireland's First Yellow Jersey

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Graham7 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

A biography of Shay Elliott has just been published which may be of interest:

Shay Elliott - The Life and Death of Ireland's First Yellow Jersey

Thanks for the heads up about this book!

Has anyone read Robert Penn's "It's All About The Bike" ... is it worth buying ?

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