Cycling books

[Lo squalo di messina]

There is also a nibali book written by enrico brizzi in collaboration with nibali. Has anyone read it and is there an english version of this book available?

 

[King Boonen]

There is also a nibali book written by enrico brizzi in collaboration with nibali. Has anyone read it and is there an english version of this book available?

I was never able to find a translation.

 

[Lo squalo di messina]

There is also a nibali book written by enrico brizzi in collaboration with nibali. Has anyone read it and is there an english version of this book available?

I was never able to find a translation.

Yeh me neither. What a shame that a rider of his caliber doesnt even have an english version of his biography available. It cant cost that much just to get a book translated in english i hope. Nibs should launch a kickstarter if he s too cheap.

 

[Frankschleck]

I quite like Chris Ankers book, but it is in danish.

 

[yaco]

Of course Madiot likes the Quebec race - The French speaking part of Canada.

 

[perico]

I loved the description of Hinault in Bad Blood "strutting around in Ray Bans like a maniacal 1980s porn star" or something like that.

Anything by Matt Randell would top my list. His bio of Pantani is a great biography. Period. Most cycling biographies I've read are either memoirs or depend on a lot of secondary sources (A. Fotheringham uses them a lot). I still enjoy them, but Rendell is a great writer, not just a cycling or sports writer.

Don't have much use for pre-Oprah Armstrong, but Lance Armstrong's War was a great book. I liked Bad Blood much more than any of Walsh's stuff.

Searching for Robert Millar was excellent, as was Slaying the Badger. Like Rendell, Richard Moore is an excellent writer. Etapes was very good too.

I've actually read the two volume TdF history and it was good, but I wish it had gone into even more detail.

 

[The Hegelian]

The translation of Madiot was very interesting - thanks Echoes.

It's often said that the neo-liberal age was ushered in by Thatcher and Reagan, so I think it is quite fair to think of it as a particularly Anglo-Saxon conception of political economy. But it was conceived on the continent - and it actually has Austro-German roots (Hayek, Von Mises etc). In any case, I agree with Madiot that the predicate of maximising efficiency ends up destroying all other values, and that in the case of cycling, it ought to be resisted. Cycling is what it is because of its traditions and history.

Having said that, there is also a certain kind of denial of reality in Madiot's words - history doesn't freeze on a particular date, and the world is far more interconnected than it was in the heyday of French cycling. The urge to preserve history and tradition at all costs can quickly become a deep fantasy, and a reactionary one at that.

Surely there's a middle ground in all of this?

 

[Billie]

Sounds incredible. Will look to read more

We are no longer working on our main assets. For example: the weather conditions. It was one of our sport's strengths. We are deleting it. If it is too windy, too cold, too rainy, too hot... You always hear that now.

 

[Echoes]

Re:

The translation of Madiot was very interesting - thanks Echoes.

It's often said that the neo-liberal age was ushered in by Thatcher and Reagan, so I think it is quite fair to think of it as a particularly Anglo-Saxon conception of political economy. But it was conceived on the continent - and it actually has Austro-German roots (Hayek, Von Mises etc). In any case, I agree with Madiot that the predicate of maximising efficiency ends up destroying all other values, and that in the case of cycling, it ought to be resisted. Cycling is what it is because of its traditions and history.

Having said that, there is also a certain kind of denial of reality in Madiot's words - history doesn't freeze on a particular date, and the world is far more interconnected than it was in the heyday of French cycling. The urge to preserve history and tradition at all costs can quickly become a deep fantasy, and a reactionary one at that.

Surely there's a middle ground in all of this?

With regards to liberalism, I also think that Anglophones have practiced it while continental Europeans theorised it but I'd go a few centuries back in time with the so-called French physiocrats, a branch of the Enlightenment (18th century): François Quesnay or Turgot.

Anyway, I really don't think Madiot wishes to freeze on a particular date. He only focuses on the new races that do not work and that ultimately disappeared: the Wincanton Classic, the Tour of Qatar, the Tour of Peking, ... All of them expected because there was no popular success. No spectators on road sides. In Quebec, there is popular success and it does work (it's what he calls "roots", "ancrage" in French). Both races are now secured for another 10 years. But even though cycling has lost popularity on the Continent, it still is more popular than in many other places. If we have 100 years of cycling history behind us, that's because the sport has had popular success here and you don't sweep it away so easily, saying it's just past time.

 

[The Hegelian]

Re: Re:

The translation of Madiot was very interesting - thanks Echoes.

It's often said that the neo-liberal age was ushered in by Thatcher and Reagan, so I think it is quite fair to think of it as a particularly Anglo-Saxon conception of political economy. But it was conceived on the continent - and it actually has Austro-German roots (Hayek, Von Mises etc). In any case, I agree with Madiot that the predicate of maximising efficiency ends up destroying all other values, and that in the case of cycling, it ought to be resisted. Cycling is what it is because of its traditions and history.

Having said that, there is also a certain kind of denial of reality in Madiot's words - history doesn't freeze on a particular date, and the world is far more interconnected than it was in the heyday of French cycling. The urge to preserve history and tradition at all costs can quickly become a deep fantasy, and a reactionary one at that.

Surely there's a middle ground in all of this?

With regards to liberalism, I also think that Anglophones have practiced it while continental Europeans theorised it but I'd go a few centuries back in time with the so-called French physiocrats, a branch of the Enlightenment (18th century): François Quesnay or Turgot.

Anyway, I really don't think Madiot wishes to freeze on a particular date. He only focuses on the new races that do not work and that ultimately disappeared: the Wincanton Classic, the Tour of Qatar, the Tour of Peking, ... All of them expected because there was no popular success. No spectators on road sides. In Quebec, there is popular success and it does work (it's what he calls "roots", "ancrage" in French). Both races are now secured for another 10 years. But even though cycling has lost popularity on the Continent, it still is more popular than in many other places. If we have 100 years of cycling history behind us, that's because the sport has had popular success here and you don't sweep it away so easily, saying it's just past time.

Yeah - maybe it's as simple as aesthetics vs profits. Another way to put it would be process vs outcome.

I'm not really a Francophile, but I appreciate the way French culture places such a premium on technique or practice i.e. the process of wine or cheese making as much as the finished wine or cheese itself. Madiot calls it soul, and that's a fair enough (if loaded) term for it.

Whereas in the Anglo world, it's all very utilitarian. It's all about outcomes, doesn't matter how you get there.

Madiot on Sky: "Sky... (Silence). They are in high-tech, they are searching, looking. That is good but they are not making me thrill. In their race philosophy, there is no place for charm, seduction, shiver. The least shivering the better they feel because they may lose the grip a bit. Black suit. Armada. It is mechanical, almost metallic. If you are a kid and you see them passing on the roadside, you cannot identify. [...] You do not have to get back to Eddy Merckx or Luis Ocaña, just take Bernard Hinault. That was much better than Froome and the likes and there was a soul. He was able to explode Paris-Nice and punch a guy. That was in 1984 because there was a demonstration on the road and it annoyed him."

 

[armchairclimber]

New book on Flandrian cycling

Top notch sports writer Harry Pearson has a new book out on Feb 7th called "The Beast, The Emperor and The Milman" , about the history of Flemish cycling and the RVV etc.
He was on BBC Radio 5 Live this morning ... for those that can access the BBC Sounds APP, it's https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00028wm The interview starts at 3:06:50 on the timeline and is a good 20 mins. Pretty entertaining stories.

Here's da book.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-beast-the-emperor-and-the-milkman-9781472945037/

 

[Alexandre B.]

Guillaume Martin (Wanty - Gobert) has released his first book : Socrate à vélo (Socrate on bike)

In this book, he imagines what would happen if philosophers were to race the Tour. We follow their preparation and their doubts throughout this journey to the maillot jaune.

I'm really looking forward to read it. Is Nietzsche a good cyclist?

 

[barmaher]

That's a ludicrous premise for a book. He has gone up massively in my estimation.

 

[RedheadDane]

:lol:
Do you know if there's an English translation planned? Coz I would love to read that!

 

[movingtarget]

Read the Cadel Evans autobiography The Art of Cycling. A pretty straightforward overview of his life and career and a bit dry in parts. Didn't really have too much of interest to say about his rivals, a few anecdotes that were not too surprising. His frustrations at Telekom and Lotto were quite interesting to read about. Not a classic read but good in parts. Still the best Evans book on the market.Some of the others were mediocre.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

:lol:
Do you know if there's an English translation planned? Coz I would love to read that!

I don't have a clue. Ask Guillaume Martin.

As for my question "Is Nietzsche a good cyclist?", well... let's just say he would have won many fans in this forum.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Re:

Guillaume Martin (Wanty - Gobert) has released his first book : Socrate à vélo (Socrate on bike)

Does French have the phrase Christ on a bike, or is the title not referring anything in particular? Wish my French were good enough to explore that one.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: Re:

Guillaume Martin (Wanty - Gobert) has released his first book : Socrate à vélo (Socrate on bike)

Does French have the phrase Christ on a bike, or is the title not referring anything in particular? Wish my French were good enough to explore that one.

I don't think there's any meaning behind the title. It's basically Socrate riding a bike.

 

[sir fly]

I suppose the Serbian edition of the book won't be out soon, so the English one should be awaited.
Besides being a very good cyclist, Guillaume Martin seems to be witty and enterprising. The qualities worth of attention.
Martin and Chaves would make an interesting tandem... Machiavelli and Montesquieu.

 

[Tigerion]

Re:

Read the Cadel Evans autobiography The Art of Cycling. A pretty straightforward overview of his life and career and a bit dry in parts. Didn't really have too much of interest to say about his rivals, a few anecdotes that were not too surprising. His frustrations at Telekom and Lotto were quite interesting to read about. Not a classic read but good in parts. Still the best Evans book on the market.Some of the others were mediocre.

I enjoyed it but I am a Aussie and big cuddles fan so not suprising.
From this side of the world I think the best I have read is One way road by Robbie McEwan
It's a cracker of a read, with great humour. Again this is an Aussie view on it so keep that in mind.
Some interesting stuff like growing up as a small weedy kid and having to learn lots of bike handling technique to keep up with the bigger kids in BMX racing, which he kept after he physically matched them.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Read the Cadel Evans autobiography The Art of Cycling. A pretty straightforward overview of his life and career and a bit dry in parts. Didn't really have too much of interest to say about his rivals, a few anecdotes that were not too surprising. His frustrations at Telekom and Lotto were quite interesting to read about. Not a classic read but good in parts. Still the best Evans book on the market.Some of the others were mediocre.

I enjoyed it but I am a Aussie and big cuddles fan so not suprising.
From this side of the world I think the best I have read is One way road by Robbie McEwan
It's a cracker of a read, with great humour. Again this is an Aussie view on it so keep that in mind.
Some interesting stuff like growing up as a small weedy kid and having to learn lots of bike handling technique to keep up with the bigger kids in BMX racing, which he kept after he physically matched them.

i'm an Aussie and an Evans fan as well but I still found his book a little disappointing. Might try the O'Grady book or the McEwen.

 

[King Boonen]

I'm unsure if 'Queens of Pain' has been mentioned in this thread or elsewhere. It's by Isabel Best and is published through Rapha Editions (yes, it does make it a little expensive but the quality of the book is very high). It's a brilliant book about the history of women's cycling, told via rider stories. I've always found it hard to even know where to start when wanting to read about the history of women's cycling. Alfonsina Strada is fairly well known as the only woman to even race the Giro d'Italia, Beryl Burton has had her achievements highlighted over the years and more modern riders get some coverage but that's about it unless you really search it out.

The book itself is very well written and an enjoyable read. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in the history of cycling and not just women's cycling. It feels like a much needed addition to the available literature.

 

[christopherrowe]

I just found out that Peter Joffre Nye's classic book on the history of pro cycling in America, Hearts of Lions (1989), will have a new edition. It's to be released by the University of Nebraska Press on May 1st and is advertised as being "revised, expanded, and updated" through the 2016 Rio Olympics. I've never read the original, but from the reviews of the 1989 volume and the blurbs for this one, it's one I'm certainly looking forward to.

 

[Koronin]

For the Valverde fans there are two books:
Alejandro Valverde La leyenda del Imbatido by Jon Rivas
Cuando fuimos los mejores by Ainara Jernando

Both are only published in Spanish. Both have the blessing of Alejandro.

I just received Jonathan Vaughters book, One Way Ticket for Christmas so haven't read it yet.

 

[christopherrowe]

The other day I dropped a note to the "contact us" email address for McGann Publishing asking if they'd forward a fan letter from me to cycling writer Les Woodland. In the note, I expressed my hopes that their publishing program continue to be robust and active and rattled off a wish list of future titles.

I was delighted that the reply came from Bill McGann himself, author, with his wife Carol, of the dual two-volume histories, The Story of the Tour de France and The Story of the Giro d'Italia. Responding to one item in my note, Mr. McGann wrote: "I may have a Vuelta book in me." Here's hoping!