RichardB
Slightly retro
- Location
- West Wales
The title and author's name alone make this worth investigating.
Book recommendations
- Thread starter Espresso vecchio
- Start date
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The title and author's name alone make this worth investigating.
Cathryn
Legendary Member
- Location
- Marlborough, Wiltshire
Ironically I loved the Christie Wellington book! Everyone’s different, I guess! Pants of Perspective is fabulous...it’s about long distance hiking. Anna McDuff’s new book Llama Drama is about cycle touring!
gasinayr
Über Member
- Location
- Ayr Scotland
French Revolutions by Tim Moore, the author reinacts the tour of france that Tom Simpson died in.
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Chap sur le velo
Über Member
- Location
- @acknee
One Man and his Bike. Mike Carter
An easy read about the difficult cycle he did round Britain in 2009(?). Quite a lot of platitudes...apparently its all about the people you meet... but for the most part he's a good guide and doesn't spare us some of the pain. He's a cyclist through and through and his love of what he's doing shines through. However his frustration at the end does seem to undo a lot of what he's said and the later parts are not as satisfying.
I recently wondered if I might attempt this task (in stages), but the other benefit of reading this is to confirm there's some of the best cycling in the world on the GB mainland and then there's the slog in between. Depends on what you want I spose.
Not a classic but not bad either. 3.5/5 from me.
Will check out some of the other titles recommended. Thanks.
An easy read about the difficult cycle he did round Britain in 2009(?). Quite a lot of platitudes...apparently its all about the people you meet... but for the most part he's a good guide and doesn't spare us some of the pain. He's a cyclist through and through and his love of what he's doing shines through. However his frustration at the end does seem to undo a lot of what he's said and the later parts are not as satisfying.
I recently wondered if I might attempt this task (in stages), but the other benefit of reading this is to confirm there's some of the best cycling in the world on the GB mainland and then there's the slog in between. Depends on what you want I spose.
Not a classic but not bad either. 3.5/5 from me.
Will check out some of the other titles recommended. Thanks.
RichardB
Slightly retro
- Location
- West Wales
I had pretty much the same reaction. I love the idea that, turning right instead of left on your way to work will take you round the UK eventually. Yes, he writes well and there are a few platitudes, but the ending seems rushed and not entirely satisfactory. I'd say 4/5.
Dirtyhanz2
Senior Member
Latestest read Nalas world Dean Nicholson quite interesting touring with an abandoned cat
Anything by Dervla Murphy best describes life on the road
Jose Dew just funny not to serous
Anything by Dervla Murphy best describes life on the road
Jose Dew just funny not to serous
Chap sur le velo
Über Member
- Location
- @acknee
This has happened to me before, get new interest and feel a compulsive need to read everything I can about the subject! At the moment I'm filling lockdown with books and for a time at least, every second one will be about cycling.
Looking at the available books it shows that Cycling is many different things to various folk and I've been sampling a few of them.
I did expect there to be an old thread or two but cant find any? What are the acknowledged classics?
Thanks for the tip off really enjoyed both. She's a great writer who weaves her own life story into the narrative in a way that makes perfect sense. For someone who seems to do a lot on her own she really feels loss of friendship and this melancholy enriches the books.
What Goes Round is her memoir of being a Cycle Courier in London. I loved the insight in to a world that moved around me every day when I was in London. Already with the internet sending most documents, this feels like a lost moment in time less than a decade later. Can't see her working in ever decreasing circles for Deliveroo. 4/5
Where there's a will.
Has been discussed here
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/where-theres-a-will-by-emily-chappell.254564/
This is her look at ultra long distance self supported cycling. In 2016 she was the first woman in Transcontinental 4000 miles in 13 days!
What a story. As well as success she experiences failure and the loss of a close friend (don't want to include spoilers). I did feel the book was a little unbalanced in the second half but its a great read. I think she must be delighted the first finisher in 2019 was a woman.
Highly recommended 4*/5
Looking at the available books it shows that Cycling is many different things to various folk and I've been sampling a few of them.
I did expect there to be an old thread or two but cant find any? What are the acknowledged classics?
Thanks for the tip off really enjoyed both. She's a great writer who weaves her own life story into the narrative in a way that makes perfect sense. For someone who seems to do a lot on her own she really feels loss of friendship and this melancholy enriches the books.
What Goes Round is her memoir of being a Cycle Courier in London. I loved the insight in to a world that moved around me every day when I was in London. Already with the internet sending most documents, this feels like a lost moment in time less than a decade later. Can't see her working in ever decreasing circles for Deliveroo. 4/5
Where there's a will.
Has been discussed here
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/where-theres-a-will-by-emily-chappell.254564/
This is her look at ultra long distance self supported cycling. In 2016 she was the first woman in Transcontinental 4000 miles in 13 days!
What a story. As well as success she experiences failure and the loss of a close friend (don't want to include spoilers). I did feel the book was a little unbalanced in the second half but its a great read. I think she must be delighted the first finisher in 2019 was a woman.
Highly recommended 4*/5
Chap sur le velo
Über Member
- Location
- @acknee
Next a couple of comic efforts - allegedly.
Magic Spanner Carlton Kirby
Was hoping for an amusing insight to the modern tour. What I got was bored and angry. Near the end we discover there's also a ghost writer! together they cant time a single punchline and the dross that gets written about!
What I learned about his commentating partner Sean Kelly. He's really good at parking, he wont pay fines and he drives fast, really fast, scary fast. HE eats pizza which is always great in Italy. This is all recounted in several chapters.
I will admit I skipped a lot of pages. But even death is too short for this torture. 0/5.
How to be a Cyclist John Deering and Phil Ashley.
Don't know why I picked this one but glad I did. Its funny and its brief. Most on here will have probably heard their jokes before and the kind of thing they discuss is exactly what is on here and its not telling us much about anything other than cycling prejudices, but it's perfectly realised.
If like me, you're new to all things cycling, not bothered by lack of PC and have couple of spare hours you could do worse. 3.75/5
Magic Spanner Carlton Kirby
Was hoping for an amusing insight to the modern tour. What I got was bored and angry. Near the end we discover there's also a ghost writer! together they cant time a single punchline and the dross that gets written about!
What I learned about his commentating partner Sean Kelly. He's really good at parking, he wont pay fines and he drives fast, really fast, scary fast. HE eats pizza which is always great in Italy. This is all recounted in several chapters.
I will admit I skipped a lot of pages. But even death is too short for this torture. 0/5.
How to be a Cyclist John Deering and Phil Ashley.
Don't know why I picked this one but glad I did. Its funny and its brief. Most on here will have probably heard their jokes before and the kind of thing they discuss is exactly what is on here and its not telling us much about anything other than cycling prejudices, but it's perfectly realised.
If like me, you're new to all things cycling, not bothered by lack of PC and have couple of spare hours you could do worse. 3.75/5
@Chap sur le velo, glad you enjoyed them
RichardB
Slightly retro
- Location
- West Wales
Not specifically, but bicycles get a mention or two:
It's a hilarious book. It's very ... I dunno ... Irish.
"is it about a bicycle?" is a quote from the book
yer right though, it's as funny as it is frightening. It was originally written as a play. I always thought it'd make a wonderful radio play, the pictures being better.
