The RB Official Road Cycling Book Review Thread

Last night I finished Slaying the Badger by Richard Moore.

This tells the story of the 1986 Tour de France and the battle between Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond.

As a newbie roadie I know nothing about the TdF before 2011, other that what I have read over the last few months, so I did not know the outcome of the battle, which only added to the excitement. The fact that Richard Moore intersperses incidents at the time with recent conversation really makes this a film documentary of a book.

One of the best books I have read so far, and an excellent insight into the minds of the protagonists and those around them.

Oh, and Bernard Hinault is one tough cookie.

Mountain High: Europe's 50 Greatest Cycle Climbs



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountain-High-E ... 304&sr=8-1


This is a really really nice coffee tablesque book, some lovely shots and is great as a dream ride planner

The Srampagmano Tales - by Scarlett Parker.

I was given this as a gift for my birthday; I had seen mention of it on the net, but not taken too much notice.

Obviously based on The Canterbury Tales (which I have not read), I did not really know what to expect, but what I was not expecting, was a series of stories told in rhyming couplets.

It's a very quick and entertaining read that must have taken the author hundreds of brain boiling hours to write.

A very cool little book, and one I'm delighted to own.

In Pursuit of Glory, by Bradley Wiggins.

Not a bad page turner at all. He is a better rider than writer though. Found at least three glaring grammar errors. I really enjoyed reading his technical breakdown of the 4000m team pursuit. These guys really are phenomenal athletes. I wonder how it will be edited to reflect LA's fall from grace?

I would read it again!

The Flying Scotsman: The Graeme Obree Story

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flying-Scot...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360589376&sr=1-1

interesting read, as much about personal challenges as it is about professional. he achieved a lot more than I remembered for bitd, wonder what he could if achieved with a little more support, akin to the current era

Fallen Angel: The passion of Fausto Coppi.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0224074504/r ... 0224074504


Brilliant book in every way, really well written and insightful. More than just a log of events but a real study of Coppi, Bartali and Italy of the time, you get a real sense of how important cycling was and still is to Italians. Recommended *****.

I'm currently up to Chapter 5 of Cycling Past 50 by Joe Friel. I'll do a full review when I get to the end, but once you get to Chapter 3, it really turns into a very sensibly laid out training book, for those of us approaching, at, or past the half way mark.

The reason for this post is a bit cheeky, as for reasons we will not go into, other than to say two people had the same idea for a birthday present, I have two copies of this book.

If anyone has a cycling book that they would like to swop for a brand new copy of Cycling past 50, then I would be happy to do a trade.

The Cycling past 50 book is good, but the well laid out training regimes that you talk about seem to be what you could find in any training book. It's the rest of the content, in my view, is what is relevant to the books title. Never the less an interesting read.

I don't know how Cycling past 50 compares to other training manuals, as I don't have any.

One aspect I did find a little annoying is the reference to lactate threashold heart rate, with all references to training based on percentages of this figure. I have no easy way of working out my LTHR, and so I found an equivalent chart on line, based on max heart rate, which for me is a much better figure.

As stated, from Chapter 7 onwards, the book is really very relevant to the older rider, and I am finding it particularly useful for working out my future training schedule and workrates, as well as what I can and should be snacking on before, during and after my rides.

This is a very quick read and I am finding it an incredibly useful training book, based on the fact that I am new to road riding and over 50.

I've just finished ' A Dog In A Hat' by Joe Parkin.

This is an extremely lively and readable book about the working life of a team cyclist, what is different is that this cyclist is a young American who has decided to make it big in Europe.

A super little book, well written and easy to read because of the format of telling bite sized stories.

Parkin is a very honest writer, and slips a few barbs into the book, regarding teams, drugs, other riders and the UCI.

Next up is his second book Come & Gone.