Cycling Books review thread

As per a previous post I bought 'The Obree Way' by Graeme Obree.

There are paper-back editions of the book (http://www.obree.com/store.php) which are the same sort of size and format as Privateer, cost is around £30.00 plus post. It is also available in iTunes and Amazon for about £6.00 and can be viewed with a free download Kindle viewer.

So, 'The Obree Way'. In short, for £6.00 (or £4.00 as it cost on the early-bird launch) I was to say the least, very happy with the book. It covers a great deal about bike training in a manner that is easy to read and understand. It covers physical prep, mental prep, measuring your efforts, nutrition, breathing, pedaling. It does the lot and it doesn't have a printed, rigid training regime in there for you to follow.

The book is more directed at cycle racers or perhaps the sort of people who like to look at verifiable numbers to determine that they are improving their fitness or speed, and not just checking out their latest Strava KOM's (moi? shurely shome mishtake). Its also good because it asks you to perform unusual and cruel surgery on your Turbo Trainer (but bad because it then asks you to use said Turbo trainer). It is also one of the more enthusiastic books I have read.

Finally, the main thing about the book is, its accessible. Obree is famous for making his name on a bike constructed out of old spares, making him a World Champion.

The book therefore does not ask you to go and buy an SRM or expect you to join a Gym, buy lots of supplements or do anything more than own a bike, eat heathily, learn to breathe, pedal and, well, yeah, there is the Turbo Trainer bit... But I can forgive him that

Best £4 quid I spent in a long time.*

*OK, I bought the paper based one too



Amazon link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Obree-Way-e ... 091&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Campagnolo-75-Yea ... campagnolo
Campagnolo Seventy Five Years of Cycling Passion by Paulo Facchinetti, coffee table books can be a bit naff but by golly this is gorgeous, I wanted to lick every page especially the one with the photo of the full Euclid groupset on it. A book for all the twisted gadget monsters out there.

http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Racing-G ... sr=1-2-ent
Mountain Bike Racing by Tim Gould and Simon Burney. I must have read this zillions of times and it gets better with age, especially their odd predictions about the future- always a dangerous business- such as the one about how one day all shifters will be like Campagnolo Bullets... Cleverly it doesn't try to be all things to all people, so for the bit about bike set up it explains what works for them and why they chose that. A nice snapshot of the past, written when they were star rider and manager of Team Pugeot.

The only book on "Cycling" I've not really been impressed by was http://www.amazon.com/Stumpjumper-25-Ye ... tumpjumper Stumpjumper 25 years of mountain biking by Mark Riedy, which felt a bit like vanity publishing by Specialized and didn't really get to the important points, like how the stumpy got to be the VW Golf of the mountain bike world.

Wide eyed and legless: The ANC Squad in the 87' Tour
LA Confidentiale: Never translated from French, but why we're getting excited about Lance now. It was in here all these years even with my rusty French...
Currently reading a biography about a local framebuilder (Orbit & Sirius) and road racer in the 50's 'Frank Clements'.

Just finished 'How I won the yellow jumper' by Ned Boulting.

It is an excellent read as it's both funny and a fascinating look behind the scenes of the tour. There are some very interesting views on Cav, Wiggo, Armstrong, doping and Team Sky (amongst other things).

I got my copy from the bay for £6.50. Money well spent.

Although I'm not the knit-your-own-yoghurt kind of person I'm fond of books about cycle touring;

1. Anne Mustoe - A Bike Ride 12,000 miles around the globe

2. Josie Dew - Slow Coast Home

3. Alaistair Humphries - Thunder and sunshine

4. Christopher Smith - Why don't you fly?

And cycling 'individuals'

1. Richard Moore - In search of Robert Millar

2. Matt Rendell - The Death of Marco Pantani

This book has been re-released with some re-work by Rouleur magazine and Paul Fournel. Apparently has a few longer essays in it by the author, as I think he contributes to Rouleur (I don't buy that mag a present). Its reviewed here: http://inrng.com/2012/09/book-review-velo/

Funnily enough, the review quotes the same paragraph I did in my previous post about Mount Ventoux, however, has a little less sympathy for the book cover! Maybe I was influenced in buying by podium cafe to reading it, so I can't claim it was all my own idea, guv.

It also seems our beloved St. Joseph of Burt has done some artwork for it, and it looks good too.

Its now a few quid more but nicely made and available here: http://www.rouleur.cc/Velo

There is also a limited edition copy which is more money but signed and supplied with prints and so on.

I will await a few more quid in the bank before buying it but the original (for me) was pretty great anyway.

Work(s) in progress:

I bought 'In Pursuit of Stardom' and I am part way through and enjoying it, more to come on that one.

I also got Frank J. Berto's 'The Birth of Dirt' which seems to be quite a source of Clunker stuff, yet to finish it however. I just read a few bits in it and want to start again and read it all.

'Mountain High' by Friebe and Goding, one that is pretty much out the wrapper and had a quick look, but its a recce of the Grand Tours most famous hills - will get on with that in a few weeks.

I Got 'Campagnolo 75 Years of Cycling Passion' as a birthday present, but I suspect that is one for the top shelf really, someone upthread was on about licking the pages, I really have no idea what they are on about...

Similarly, Guido P Rubino's 'Italian racing bicycles' by the same publisher looks like utter bicycle filth so I will hide that away from fragile and enquiring minds for the time being.

Happy reading

I've just finished Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage.

The copy I got was a later edition, with some updates, which were well worth reading.

It's not a very jolly book, from the outset it is clear, especially having read David Millars book first, that Kimmage was never going to make it as a professional cyclist, as he just does not have the self belief.

The other thing that's clear is that anyone who has read the book should not be in the least bit surprised by the USADA report this week. The names in the report might be different, but the attitude is the same.

Interesting book.

Just started 'A Race For Madmen'.

Think I may get 'Put Me Back On My Bike' next; anyone read it?

Put me back on my bike is pretty good, I won't do a review as such as I read it ages ago so its not that current in my mind. It certainly put a lot of colour and personality to the person, rather than the black and white story of Simpsons death.

As a kid in a few cycling clubs, there were definately people who held him in very low esteem and were pretty forthright in their views on him - so reading the book gave me another perspective.

p.s. If you liked the Kimmage book, 'Breaking the Chain' by Willy Voet is a view from someone caught bang to rights shipping drugs at the start of the Festina scandal.

More info on that book would be much appreciated as I'd like to give it a try; I met Frank a couple of times as Dad & I both had frame refurbs done at the Sirius factory near Dudley. Nice bloke and unbelievably helpful - shame the firm has ceased trading.

David