Books: What you recommend as a good cycling read, either fiction or nonfiction?

[Drago]

Once again, inspired by a thread elsewhere.

What you recommend as a good cycling read, either fiction or nonfiction.

I'll kick off with this. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guide-Public-Safety/dp/0763744336 which I can heartily recommend. Much of it is of genuine use to all cyclists, and some of it is simply very interesting, such as the chapter on using police firearms with a bike.

So what's your good read?

 

[Bobby Mhor]

'Road to Valour, Gino Bartali, Tour de France Legend and WW2 hero by Aili Mc Connon...
big title, good book.

 

[AndyRM]

Paris-Roubaix: A Journey Through Hell.

Great photographs, great writing and great insight. Pricey but worth it.

 

[matiz]

Bikie. Charlie Woods
A racing cyclists worst nightmare, Tony Hewson
One more kilometre and we're in the showers, Tim Hilton.
Bad Blood,Jeremy Whittle
Riding through the storm,Geiff Thomas
and finally my favourite,
The Beautiful machine,Graeme Fife (a Zen like paean to the joy of cycling)

 

[KneesUp]

I enjoyed Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy by Tim Moore

also, Eddy Merckx, The Cannibal by Daniel Friebe was quite good, especially as I didn't know much about his era (my first Tdf was 1985)

I've just finished Janapar - Love on a Bikeby Tom Allen, which was also quite good.

 

[AndyRM]

It's All About The Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels - Robert Penn

One man's quest to build his dream bike. A witty and entertaining read.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I enjoyed Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy by Tim Moore

I too enjoyed that. I've just finished reading his The Cyclist who Went out in the Cold which was equally good, if not better, as it had a slightly weightier "back story" (if that's the right phrase) as he ruminates on the history of the Cold War.

 

[Aravis]

Cycling in Europe by Nicholas Crane, 1984. In its day it did more than anything to mould my attitude and approach to cycling.

I know where it is - roughly - and I must dig it out. A lot will seem dated - there was a country called Yugoslavia, no-one had heard of a mountain bike, and the recommended bikes now appear regularly on eBay as "vintage". Now that the author is so well-known from Coast, I'll probably hear everything in his voice, so it could all seem very different.

 

[Bollo]

Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage.

It's a passionate, angry and brave book. Paul K is a divisive figure - gobsh1te is a phrase I've heard more than once - and by his own admission he struggles to be dispassionate and objective, but with all the mea culpa autobiographies that have been written recently by pros from era of uncontrolled blood doping, it's worth remembering this came out in 1990.

 

[gaz71]

Im currently reading (and enjoying) The man who cycled the world, by Mark Beaumont.I will be putting it up for a raffle this week as ive nearly finished it.

 

[John the Monkey]

The Sweat of the Gods - Benjo Maso
A really interesting examination of the legends of cycling, the truth of them, and whether the sport needs these tales of victorious suffering for its success.

 

[Dayvo]

The Rider - by Tim Krabbé

Quite simply, IMO, it's the best book about cycling there is.

 

[Dirtyhanz]

Any thing by Dervla Murphy
She can be a little bit dark just persevere the reward is worth it

 

[roadrash]

@Drago pm me your address and I will send a copy of Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy by Tim Moore, as long as you offer /re raffle it on here once read.

 

[Drago]

That's jolly kind! PM incoming...