Cycling book thread

[craig1985]

Just got a book called: A journey round the world: A cycling memior. It is written by by a English guy by the name of David Sore (who was in his early 20's at the time), who set from his town in England in 1966 and spent the next 3 and a half years cycling around the world. He sailed to New York and then rode along the US and Canadian border to Vancouver, down through to California, through Arizona and New Meixo, and back up to Vancouver. He then flew to Japan, and when he arrived in Tokyo, cycled down to Osaka, onto the Southern Islands, and back to Tokyo after taking a detour or two. He then went by boat to Australia, arriving in Brisbane, Queensland, cycling all the way up to North Queensland (which is a good 2,000km). Then he went left and rode to the Northern Territory (which is no mean feat, you could drive through several European countries in the same distance). Then he went south east through New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (where national capital is located), then to Sydney.

Once he achieved that, he flew to New Zealand and rode around the North and South Island. He then flew back to Sydney, and then went to Perth (more then 5,000km away!), but he did not ride. He went by boat to Singapore, and cycled from there through Malaysia, Thailand, and into Cambodia (this is before Pol Pot did what he did). He flew to India, and cycled across India into ****stan (includes a short detour into Nepal), and then onto Afganistan, via the Khyber Pass. From Afganistan, he rode into Iran, and flew from the capital Tehran into Turkey. He rode back to England via Bulgaria, the former Yugoslav Republic, Austria, Germany, and France.

All up he covered 35,000 miles (56,000km!) in his trip. A lot of significant events happened when he got back in 1969. In 1975, the Khmer Rogue (led by Pol Pot) came into power in Cambodia, 10 years later, in Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini would lead the Iranian Revolution and overthrow the Shah. A year later, Iran and Iraq were at war, and from late 1979, Russia invaded Afganistan, and this lasted until 1989.

A lot of this trip would be impossible to do nowadays. ****stan is desending into Cival War, Afganistan is a warzone, and you would be quite the idiot to try and go through the Khyber Pass (this on the border of ****stan and Afganistan), and Iran probably isn't the place to be right at the moment.

Edit: how is P-akistan in the filter, yes I know the word P-aki is a racial insult in England, but P-akistan is a country!

 

[Garry Allen]

Cadel evans' book "Close to flying" is coming out soon. Should be a ripper.

needs a good editor to cull the repetition.

 

[Archibald]

There's more to being safe in traffic than most cyclists, even most experienced cyclists, realize.

The best advice is given in these books:

* "Cyclecraft" by John Franklin
* "Effective Cycling" by John Forester
* "Streetsmarts" by John S. Allen (free pdf - google for it)
* "The Art of Urban Cycling" by Robert Hurst

The one thing these books all have in common is that the way almost all cyclists ride, even hardcore racers, is way too close to the edge of the road.

if you had to choose only one to recommend, which would it be?

 

[Anonymous]

I found the "In search of Robert Millar" book very good...also read a book by Neil Peart, the drummer for that awful band, Rush. He wrote a book about cycling thru West Africa called "The Masked Rider' which I thought quite good. Peart also wrote a great book, not about Cycling, but a year and a half or so long motorcycle trip he took by himself after his only daughter and wife died... called "Ghost Rider".

 

[Tangled Tango]

Paul Kimmage's Rough Ride is a great read - well written too as he's a journalist anyway. It usually gets re-released to coincide with the latest drug scandal to hit the Tour - so maybe in 4 weeks!

Just finished it. Absolutely fantastic. You enter the real world of European racing. I would call it a must read for cycling lovers.

 

[D Avoid]

I finished "In search of" this morning at 2:30 a.m., the last 150 pages in one go. The vast majority of it was unputdownable and shows you how such a remarkable character can be so despised, by minds that could not match a stick. The old story of the **** stirrer came to the fore in reading this,the ****'s there, everybody smells it and people like Robert and Kimmage stir, to do otherwise would be to take part in the cover up that is our professional peloton. I never realised that Millar was that amazingly good, that he could only do one tour without falling apart.

I have a sister quite like him and only know her job as she was in the paper last month. I told my mother and she said not to be gossiping about her, turned out she didn't know what she did either, she is 55 and I couldn't be bothered with that ****.

If Millar had been different he would still be in the factory, sleeping his career away.


Wiggins book is also a thoroughly good read but stops a bit short due to when it written.

Kimmage is the one I reserve all the honours for. The hatred for him is indicative of the greedy, small minded protectionism that got us to where we are, as to where that is, it's anybody's mess. Those that have him down for a pariah are, without being aware of it, telling us exactly what their make up is. He has a similar problem to Greg in that he cannot articulate what he is thinking, due, Id say to so called ADD, which can be sorted in most cases with a few different oils.


All those who keep it zipped are unworthy of our praise, no matter what they have done on the bike, they share the guilt of all those covered up, not unexplained , deaths of recent years. Of course, they just want to be part of the gang, the same one that hounds anyone who says anything.

As for Pance Arsewrong, I don't really like fiction. "I'm not about to like".

 

[craig1985]

WHat is 'Dog in a Hat' like as a book?

 

[philcrisp]

Mike Burrows "Bicycle Design: The Search for the Perfect Machine‎". He has some very interesting things to say about frame geometry and crank length in particular.

Mark Beaumont "The Man who Cycled the World". I gave up in Iran. I just didn't want to spend any more time with him, even in print. This man is so far removed from every other I cycled the world type I've ever read.

 

[elapid]

WHat is 'Dog in a Hat' like as a book?

I really enjoyed Joe Parkin's book. Honest book about an honest battler who tried his hand at professional bike racing in the hardest country in the world for cycling, Belgium. No holds barred, no Hollywood ending.

 

[Anonymous]

Amazing story

I have ordered the book, and based on reviews it should be an amazing story

In fact she's Anne "Londonderry" Kopchovsky, a 24 year old Jewish mother of 3 who rode around the world on a bike in 1894.... that would be on a fixed gear bike. "Around the World on Two Wheels"

http://www.annielondonderry.com/

Sounds inspireing.

 

[Digger]

Rough Ride the best I've read - and not just for the doping revelations. His Tour diaries were so raw and vivid. Really got a glimpse of the pain they all suffer.
From Lance to Landis I'd have a very close second. Impeccably well researched and you can tell that he left no stone unturned - and never been sued for that book!!! Is actually a better book than LAC.
Robert Millar, Death of Marco Pantani, Willy Voet very good.
Bad Blood pretty good but is a rehash of alot of stories we already knew.
Pantani's assistant wrote a book about her experiences of helping him with the cocaine - it went on and on and on and on.....not too good at all.
Bradley Wiggins' book - so boring.
Dog in the Hat - did not like at all.
Allan Peiper - some good bits - not great.
Daniel Coyle's Lance's War - a good read
Chasing Lance I thought was very boring.

There's a well known fiction piece which was released around 2000 - I'd say you can get it on Amazon....It's not about the bike I think it's called. I think it was meant to be a comedic piece or satire.

 

[Aus_Orca]

Major Taylor, Great book about the first afro american cycling superstar in a time where nothing else could seem so scandalous, more should be written on this great man, too many have forgotten.

Riding through the storm, Geoff Thomas......good read about a former pofessional soccer player who gets can cer and then beats the disease before riding the entire tour route with a group of mates, very inspiring!

Robert millers book was also a good read, as was sex lies and handlebar tap about jacques antequil

 

[Dave Lupo]

Don't think it's been mentioned before but 'The Escape Artist' by Matt Seaton is a good read.

 

[zapata]

Rough Ride the best I've read - and not just for the doping revelations. His Tour diaries were so raw and vivid. Really got a glimpse of the pain they all suffer.
From Lance to Landis I'd have a very close second. Impeccably well researched and you can tell that he left no stone unturned - and never been sued for that book!!! Is actually a better book than LAC.
Robert Millar, Death of Marco Pantani

I really liked kimmage's book as well. Now, I'm reading "the death of marco pantani", which I find to be admirably researched and well written. Halfway through, it's really starting to go downhill for marco, but if I'm supposed to be shocked and denounce him as a despicable doper, I have to say I find myself missing him and wishing he was still racing.

Also, someone mentioned a book about the giro d'Italia written by Dino Buzzati? He wrote one of my favourite novels of all time; "the tartar steppe" in english, but I never knew he wrote about cycling. I'll have to look for that one!

 

[craig1985]

Bruynel's book is one of the worst that I ever read. Considering he uses imperial measurements etc. it is obvious the book was intended for American readers. Use metric FFS.

 

[Torrrr]

Have enjoyed many of the books already mentioned.
Don't think The Hour by Michael Hutchinson has been mentioned but it's quite a funny account of taking on the hour record.
But by far the 2 best books - or at least my favourites - are 'Fallen Angel, the passion of Fausto Coppi' and 'Tomorrow, we ride' by Jean Bobet. A different era but possibly the golden era of road racing.
Going even further back in time, has anyone got any recommendations for books/info on Philippe Thys? Everyone knows Coppi and Bartali lost racing time to WWII but here's a 3 time winner who won either side of WWI but hardly ever gets a mention. Would like to know more.

 

[ravens]

Can't get into Bobke's books. Though he writes with more skill than he often talks, there's too much shuck and jibe for me.

I got Bobke II at a used book store. They should have paid me. It is sorely in need of editing, but had it been edited, it probably has about 30 pages of decent content, and that is being kind.

Lots of story potential wasted.

 

[fatandfast]

I picked up "Around The World On Two Wheels". @240 pages and a pretty good book. The woman never rode a bike before she took the bet to ride the globe. Her first was a fixed gear with a spoon brake 40+ pounds, 2/3 of the way through she gets a new 21 pound bike. Got it for @11 dollars new.

 

[battaglin]

Cadel evans' book "Close to flying" is coming out soon. Should be a ripper.

I was looking forward to getting this for christmas,but it didn't come out here.Still on order from amazon.What happened anyone know?

Also looking forward to "we were young and carefree" by Laurent Fignon out in june in U.K.

I enjoyed the story of the tour de france volume 2 (65-07) byBill+Carol McGann although would have been better as a hardback.

"world of cycling" by John Wilcockson is also good.

and "Day of glory day of pain" by Laurent Watlez with 20 of the greatest cyclist's ever remember their day of glory or pain.

 

[Ninety5rpm]

There's more to being safe in traffic than most cyclists, even most experienced cyclists, realize.

The best advice is given in these books:

* "Cyclecraft" by John Franklin
* "Effective Cycling" by John Forester
* "Streetsmarts" by John S. Allen (free pdf - google for it)
* "The Art of Urban Cycling" by Robert Hurst

The one thing these books all have in common is that the way almost all cyclists ride, even hardcore racers, is way too close to the edge of the road.

if you had to choose only one to recommend, which would it be?

For the U.S., before I would say Effective Cycling.
But now that Franklin has published a North American version of his book, it has to be Cyclecraft.

But I learned valuable things from all of them.
And remember, StreetsSmarts is free.

 

[craig1985]

Do those books/pdf's take in account people like me, who ride on the other side of the road?

 

[my username is flish]

Don't think it's been mentioned before but 'The Escape Artist' by Matt Seaton is a good read.

Big +1, I loved this. Really good. I got another one of his, "Two Wheels", basically a compilation of his articles etc. Good also.

"Team On The Run". The story of the Linda McCartney Team. Pretty good.

"Indurain: A Tempered Passion". It's translated from spanish and is a bit pants but worth picking up all the same...

 

[Ninety5rpm]

Do those books/pdf's take in account people like me, who ride on the other side of the road?

The original and latest edition of Cyclecraft is left-side oriented; only the new North American edition is right-side oriented. The other books in the list are all right-side oriented.

cyclecraft.co.uk

 

[bmcneece]

The Rider by Tim Krabbé

The Rider, by Dutch chess champion and writer Tim Krabbé is one of the all time classic cycling books. It's about one amateur race interspersed with musings about life, the great cyclists, and races.

 

[Archibald]

For the U.S., before I would say Effective Cycling.
But now that Franklin has published a North American version of his book, it has to be Cyclecraft.

But I learned valuable things from all of them.
And remember, StreetsSmarts is free.

excellent! Cheers!