The RB Official Road Cycling Book Review Thread

[NeilM]

Just finished Roule Britannia by William Fotheringham.

As can be expected from all his books, Fotheringham has really done his research and covers British riders in the Tour de France from the 1930's to the modern day. Unfortunately, as with any book based on dates, my copy covers up until the 2012 edition and as we all know Chris Froome has done his thing since then.

Never the less this is an excellent book crammed full of facts and personal anecdotes from the people who were there at the time, this makes it an easy and fascinating read.

 

[BobCatMax]

Just finished "Merckx" by William Fotherington - a little bundle of three given to me by my mum amazingly. Roule Brittania and Fallen Angel were the other two.

having not been into the road scene for very long at all, it was a frightening and fascinating insight into what drove him and why. excellent read.

 

[NeilM]

Just finished Wide-Eyed and Legless by Jeff Connor.

Jeff followed the ill fated ANC-Halfords team through the 1987 TdF.

This is like two (or possibly three) books in one, as it not only follows the ups and downs, additions and departures of the ANC team, but also included are the brief stage by stage reports that Jeff filed with the newspaper he was working for at the time, plus additional comments on the tussle for the yellow jersey.

This is a highly entertaining read that often stops you in your tracks that a team could have so much talent and yet be run so badly, despite the very best efforts of almost everyone involved.

 

[NeilM]

Just finished French Revolutions by Tim Moore - kindly lent to me by Coomber.

This is an excellent MUST READ book.

The book describes Tim's cycling adventure, riding ahead of the 2000 TdF on the exact(ish) route the Tour will cover.

Tim's writing style makes for easy reading and his sense of humour is the same as mine; this meant I got a few grumpy looks from my wife, as I kept bursting out laughing.

 

[Nob]

Re:

Just finished reading Cinelli - The Art and Design of the Bicycle. A definite coffee table book that would not translate well to Kindle.

Here's the video: http://vimeo.com/57947597

This is a superb read with fantastic photo's

 

[Nob]

This is also a good read
http://www.iancammish.co.uk/#!blank/c1ccl

 

[NeilM]

Re:

I finished reading Merckx Half Man Half Bike by William Foerthingham last night.

As has been said, this is an excellent read and a fascinating insight into the phenomenon that was Merckx the cyclist.

As someone who did not follow the sport at the time (motor racing was my thing), it was quite incredible to realise just how dominant Merckx was, and what feelings, both positive and negative that raised in both the industry and the fans.

As always Fotheringham digs deeper and talks to people all around the man himself to really get a feeling for what he did and why.

 

[kaiser]

Re:

Come and Gone by Joe Parkin

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Come-Gone-Blue- ... 1934030546

Another good read from Joe Parkin very candid and honest account following on from Dog in a Hat. Once I started I couldn't put it down and managed to read it in one night....which is a point its very short. Still if you enjoyed Dog then this does make a nice sequel but I'd say you are probably more interested in Joe rather than American road and mtb racing so a it could have been longer with what he did next as it seems it would be just as entertaining.

 

[kaiser]

Re:

Road to Valour by Aili and Andres Connon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Valour-Bar ... 0297859994

A really nice account of Gino Bartalli, fills in alot of gaps that surround his wartime activities and add a real dimension to Baratali. Not a perfectly written book by any means and doesn't inspire like Fotheringhams Coppi book but if you've read the Coppi book then this is a rather nice addition and gives a bit of flesh and bone to him. There are some gaps, notably the rivalry/friendship with Coppi seems to have been sidelined but all in all its a worthwhile read.

 

[NeilM]

Re:

I have just finished reading Project Rainbow by Rod Ellingworth.

This book was a gift, so it feels a little disingenuous saying anything bad about the book, but to be honest I found it a very long read, and in the end I struggled to finish it.

The content is interesting, as it runs through the British Cycling academy programme and gives an excellent insight into the way that organisation works and the long term goals they set themselves. After that, the book starts to jump around a bit, between Team Sky and the World Championships and really ends up just talking about Mark Cavendish.

There is an interesting book in there, but I found Rod's style of writing a little repetitive and also lacking the kind of brevity you get from professional writers / journalists.

Still, if you want an insight into the workings of British Cycling and Team Sky and the length of planning that goes into all those gold medals and stage wins, this book will deliver.