Building A Cycling Bookshelf

[fmk_RoI]

Anything by Samuel Abt is also good, such as 'Tour de France: Three Weeks to Glory' about the 1990 Tour. The collected jounalism pieces in 'Off to the Races' is first class. 'LeMond: The Incredible Comeback' is okay, but LeMond isn't really a juicy personality, although he is straightforward and honest.

Best cycling fiction ever is Tim Krabbe's 'The Rider'

Fignon's auto is very lyrical, wonderful turn of phrase had the professor; excellent translation by Fotheringham.

Matt Rendell's 'Death of Marco Pantani' very good but quite sad.

I like Rough Ride, the details of everyday pro life by a non-star very interesting.

Agree, Tim Moore very readable.

Got Fallen Angel and in search of Tom Simpson, but yet to read them.

Want to get 'Tomorrow, we ride'...heard only good things. Inspiring title, no?

Sam Abt really is special. May be looking at the LeMond book next week, leading in to Slaying The Badger.

 

[fmk_RoI]

If you're looking for something a little unusual, might I recommend Inside the Tour de France? It's my favourite cycling book, in my opinion comes closer than anything else to explaining the wonder of the Tour, and – added bonus – it's written by David Walsh. Yup, the David Walsh. It's interesting to see where he started and where he eventually wound up... Particularly interesting in light of the past few years is the chapter of then Tour rookie Lance Armstrong...

Aye, have that one. Partic interesting to be reminded of his attitude to doping back then.

 

[fmk_RoI]

A great book!

Throw in "Maglia Rosa" by Herbie Sykes as well as "Pedalare! Pedalare!" by John Foot.

Loved Maglia Rosa. A lot colder about Pedalare! Pedalare!

 

[fmk_RoI]

If I may ask... why?

They're usually badly written. And if you can't learn to ride in traffic yourself you shouldn't be allowed own a bicycle.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Forrester? Never ever read? And you tell us you are trying to build a bicycling bookshelf?

Then you are an idiot, or you are not building a bicyling bookshelf. I do not care if YOU will never read it - it is a must for a bicycling bookshelf.

Nothing personal, mind you. But you told us you are trying to do something that should cover many aspects of bicycling, and that book was, is, a seminal bicycling publication. Notice that I specifically, and with reason, use the word seminal to describe this book. It is an accurate description. Forrester is so significant to the history of the bicycle as transportation that you can not ignore him and be taken seriously.

While we are at it, how about Sutherland's? You need a few years worth of that. Also, for the general layman, before Zinn and the Art of Maintenance, there was only one book worth any salt - unfortunately I do not remember the name. Too long ago, sorry, and my copy is buried "who knows where".

You want 1st person narratives? Here is a good one: "Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country". Or any of the Josie Dew series. Better than Josie Dew, in my mind, was Kurmaskie - Metal Cowboy, etc.

You want adventure fiction? Spike. Not a book, but you gotta have him on a bicycling bookshelf.

As others have said - the Sam Abt coffee table books are superb. I'll just reaffirm that.

I could go on, but I have other things to do. So, last, but very far from least - Brandt's "The Bicycle Wheel". Another ultra classic that can not be ignored.

So I'm an idiot. Bite me. But I'm an idiot who elarned how to ride a bike without having to read a book. Go figure that one. As for seminal ... hardly. Maybe we just do things different in Eurp.

 

[Chuffy]

You want 1st person narratives? Here is a good one: "Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country". Or any of the Josie Dew series. Better than Josie Dew, in my mind, was Kurmaskie - Metal Cowboy, etc.

I'd rather impale myself on a broken fork end than tackle another Josie Dew book. How she manages to stretch "added/removed a layer, ate a banana" to an entire book is beyond me.

Matt Seaton - The Escape Artist is very good.

 

[fmk_RoI]

I'd rather impale myself on a broken fork end than tackle another Josie Dew book. How she manages to stretch "added/removed a layer, ate a banana" to an entire book is beyond me.

Matt Seaton - The Escape Artist is very good.

Agreed. A Seaton's one of the good guys.

Oh, and agree on JD too.

 

[orbeas]

Books

Just reading the new David Millar book 'Racing Through The Dark'
excellant book and opens up the dirty world of Pro Cycling.
Also any of Andrew Jennings books on the Olympic Committee and the corupt world of Sport, you can substitute the UCI instead of the Olympic Commitee.

 

[Stingray34]

Stay away from 'Sky's the Limit': vapid PR bullsheet.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features...ehind-skys-first-attempt-to-attract-cavendish

 

[Chuffy]

Stay away from 'Sky's the Limit': vapid PR bullsheet.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features...ehind-skys-first-attempt-to-attract-cavendish

You've read it then?

 

[Stingray34]

You've read it then?

The few moments I spent reading that crap my visage was so twisted I couldn't drink my Carlsberg...

 

[LugHugger]

The extract doesn't appear to promise much. I'll pass, thank you.

@Stingray 34: Your signature. Me. Ipswich Gaumont, 11th March 1985, supported by James. What a great night!

 

[Stingray34]

The extract doesn't appear to promise much. I'll pass, thank you.

@Stingray 34: Your signature. Me. Ipswich Gaumont, 11th March 1985, supported by James. What a great night!

legendary! So envious...love Moz and Marr

 

[Ninety5rpm]

pop quiz

They're usually badly written. And if you can't learn to ride in traffic yourself you shouldn't be allowed own a bicycle.

Our society, including the cycling community, is filled with misleading memes about bicyclist rights and safety in traffic. It's possible to cut through all that and learn it all on your own, but you would be truly exceptional, though not unique, if you managed to do so. I seriously doubt even you would learn nothing from these books.

Pop quiz... under what conditions do you take a lane controlling position rather than a lane sharing position, and why?

 

[shawnrohrbach]

Looking for suggestions for a cycling bookshelf. I write book reviews and related rubbish for Podium Cafe but actually have the oddest bikes' book shelf, missing lots of stuff it should have. So what do you think are the must read books every cyclist should have on their bookshelf, and are there any should read books most people aren't aware of?

Open Your Heart with Bicycling... By me.
Cast the First Stone (fiction) By me.
Best Bike Rides San Diego (Spring 2012) By me.
Yeah, this is pure self promotion but there's a lot of that going around...

 

[hiero2]

They're usually badly written. And if you can't learn to ride in traffic yourself you shouldn't be allowed own a bicycle.

Oh dear - I am going to take the Jobst Brandt line here. You ARE an idiot. Or, at least, you are defending your idiocy. You didn't learn to drive a car by yourself. You can no more learn, by yourself, to correctly manage traffic on a bicycle than you would a car. If anything, it is more important for a bicyclist to spend time learning about proper traffic techniques - just like it is for a motorcyclist. There are techniques to learn for managing a bicycle in traffic that will save your life - and they are not obvious. If you have learned all your traffic technique by yourself, then you are almost certainly missing knowledge that could save your life.

If, on the other hand, you learned by observing other knowledgeable riders, you may be farther ahead. But you might still also be missing critical techniques that could save your life. Just as if your father and his friends taught you to drive a car.

Saying you do things differently in "Eurp" is also patent nonsense. Many countries in Europe, but not all, have more bicycling traffic, and thus have more experienced cyclists, than in the US - but that isn't really different. Now, if you are living in Saudi Arabia - then I would accept that they "do things different" - given that the drivers there will often completely ignore traffic regulations entirely.

 

[ksmith]

Go to the second hand book shops, you never know what you'll find.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Just reading the new David Millar book 'Racing Through The Dark'
excellant book and opens up the dirty world of Pro Cycling.
Also any of Andrew Jennings books on the Olympic Committee and the corupt world of Sport, you can substitute the UCI instead of the Olympic Commitee.

Not sure I agree

 

[fmk_RoI]

Pop quiz... under what conditions do you take a lane controlling position rather than a lane sharing position, and why?

Try that in English and I might just answer.

 

[fmk_RoI]

You didn't learn to drive a car by yourself.

Nope and I didn't learn to drive reading a book either.

 

[my username is flish]

Hi fmk, love your blog on podiumcafe. i think you've read/reviewed most of the books i own or have read. maybe give chris boardman's complete book of cycling a go? it's a bit weird - half autobiography, half training manual - but worth a read. I found a copy in ballymun library a while ago if you're in the dublin area.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Can't say as Boardman ever really fired my fuse. Much prefer someone like this week's subject - Bernard Hinault. Those two Tours, 85 and 86, rock.

 

[Duartista]

Matt Rendell's 'Kings of the Mountains' - a real labour of love, and entirely original material.

 

[Mambo95]

Here's a cycling bookshelf (two books missing)*

*Missing are French Revolutions by Tim Moore and Tour de Force by Daniel Coyle - both on extended loan.

 

[fatsprintking]

If I had to pick three books to start a cycling collection they would be :

The Rider - Tim Crabbe

Wonderfully written book by a person who has thought deeply about cycling and who does the best that I think that has ben done to explain the the psychology of competition. Who has not raced and thought they had the sprint only to have someone come through in the last few pedal strokes.

The Escape Artist - Matt Seaton

A very human story that most people with a family and job can relate to. A great way to put life and cyling into perspective and to develop an understanding of how they compliment each other.


French Revolutions - Tim Moore

Really fun and well written and the book I would want to read if I was laid up with a broken leg to cheer me up.

The above would give you a pretty good idea of where to go from there. "Put me back on my bike" would be close to the final three as would Dan Coyle's Armstrong book, but you cant really go wrong with the three outlined.