Cycling books

the author still rides,......

Fantastic book, great little film there too.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pedalare-John-Foot/dp/1408822199

This is a great book, very well researched and written. Interested in Italian cycling? It's all there.
Highly recommended.

Not just about cycling but...

Over the Edge: an Odyssey in Extreme Sports: A Regular Guy's Odyssey in Extreme Sports: Amazon.co.uk: Michael Bane: Books

Reading that was what got me motivated to get off my arse and do more (long distance) cycling.

Just forced myself to finish The Climb.
Wish I hadn't bothered, the man's a despicable arse.

Just started reading Lanterne Rouge by Max Leonard. Funny and fascinating in equal measure.

The final winner of the maglia nera (black jersey) prize for coming last in the Giro was Giovanni Pinarello, who was then paid 6-months' salary by his team to give up his place in the next year's race. He started a bike shop instead.

Just started reading Lanterne Rouge by Max Leonard. Funny and fascinating in equal measure.

He's *on here*. :)

All the text formatting!

Well if you see this, Max, thanks. Enjoying it so far.

The formatting confused me at first. I see something underlined on the web and try to click it. :(

It's obligatory for stating the importance of somebody being *on here*. :)

somebody is *on here*.

maxl[URL="https://www.lfgss.com/member1023.html"][/URL] is *on here*.

Thanks!

I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Climb by Chris Froome and he's starting to sound like an absolute cocktrumpet. Will I end up disliking Wiggins just as much if I read his book?

On a more positive(!) note I really enjoyed The Secret Race for the sheer craziness of all the doping stories, and as mentioned upthread The Rider is awesome, in fact I'm going to re-read that at some point.

enjoyed Rob Penn's It's All About The Bike, but that might have encouraged excessive expenditure on bicycle builds, so beware!!

Read Nicole Cooke's book instead. By far the best read of any of those cyclist biographies that you'll ever find (unless another comes along who's a bit like her, which is unlikely).

Sounds interesting. Just had a look and they have it in my local library, I'll give it a go!

I forgot to give honourable mention to 'The Flying Scotsman' by Graeme Obree, but I'm assuming that everybody on here already knows it.

I've had to physically restrain myself from dropping everything to read my copy, which has just arrived, and of course despite recommending it I haven't even read it yet, but I know from excerpts and conversations that 'Roads Were Not Built for Cars' by Carlton Reid is an absolute must-read. Get it now. You won't regret it. It features a vast range of references and hundreds of intriguing stories to paint a complete picture of a history that has been largely forgotten until now--no more.

Standard disclaimer: I'm a member of Hackney Cycling Campaign and we made a donation towards completion of the book. In case anyone wants to sniff out a conflict of interest, it's worth noting that we're not earning any money from it. :)

Read Nicole Cooke's book instead. 

The best sporting autobiography I've read

also a feminist critique of professional cycling by the British rider who won more than all the men. 

The Hour by Michael Hutchinson is the best written book on cycling I've come across.

But Slaying the Badger is the most exciting.

Has anyone read Geraint Thomas' book? Opinions?

The Escape Artist by Matt Seaton. An excellent read.

I've recently had this recommended to me too!

No surprises to the many who've already said this, but 'The Rider' really is excellent.

I wish I was reading it with a pen to highlight bits like this (which read worse out of context, despite the entire thing having an aphoristic quality):

But in the long, tough road races, when there are mountains to fight instead of a whirlwind of
riders, Kleber shines. Because he never attacks, and because there's always someone who can
stick with him and beat him in the sprint, he's never won a race. He has no panache, no brio, no
courage.
He lives to ride.

And this bit, which comes almost immediately after:

As I pass him, I look over. Earnest. All the pious earnestness of the vanquished sportsman. He
doesn't stand a chance, but he's making the best of it!
And the crowd falls for it every time! How often have I seen people clapping and cheering for a rider who, having been lapped six times, pushes on bravely? It's an insulting brand of applause - for where does a winning rider get the right to revel in applause if the crowd isn't obliged to hiss at him when he fails?

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/11/roger-gilles-women-on-the-move-bicycle-racing-1890s

"Gilles’s book is a window into a virtually unknown time in women’s sports, and it’s important because it adds to the history of female athletes who have overcome so many obstacles to be able to compete. It’s also more evidence that women have always been more suited to sports than they’ve been given credit for, and that when the have the opportunity to train, they’ve always been just as capable as the men."

Looks like a good read.