Book Reviews

Gravel riding – what’s all the fuss about? For a die-hard roadie, the thought of swapping silky smooth tarmac for rough forestry tracks, farm roads, and God forbid, mud, might seem like heresy. But there’s no denying it, gravel is booming. "Gravel Rides Scotland" by Ed Shoote captures brilliantly Scotland’s most breathtaking and remote routes, designed for those who crave adventure beyond the asphalt.

If you’re a student of cycling history and want an insight into the 60’s and 70’s cycling scene then Bob Addy's book "The Driller" is a good read for you, taking you from Addy’s days as a youngster finding his feet in the sport through a successful amateur career representing his nation at the highest levels of the amateur sport in events like the Tour de l’Avenir and the savage, East European Peace Race, before turning pro and riding the Tour de France.

Daniel Friebe's book, "Jan Ullrich, the best there never was" covers his career and life in great detail with many interviews with his coach, Peter Becker and two of the men who attempted to manage their brilliant but erratic charge, Rudy Pevenage and Walter Godefroot - who no longer exchange Christmas cards - not to mention many of his Telekom team mates, and of course there’s the other ‘stuff’; Ullrich’s addictions to alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, sex; and most damaging of all, for a man whose job involves riding a bicycle up mountains - food.

One of the nice things about this gig is that people sometimes send you cool cycling books to review, in this case, ‘No Ordinary Joe’ sub-titled ‘Cycling Legends 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, a unique collection of stories, USA & Canada.’

Ron Keeble's childhood stories would make a good movie – it would need to be in black and white though, to get the mood right, and perhaps a French director? Full of mischief and close shaves with authority, two things that would follow him throughout his life. It’s safe to say that this is not your average cycling book.

Jonathan Vaughters was always a thinker, a man who dissected every element of his racing career, right down to the millimeter measurements on his time trial position. His book "One Way Ticket" is no different – a forensic examination of the sport he both loved and loathed, of the moral dilemmas he faced, and of the choices that took him from a promising young amateur to one of the most divisive team managers in modern cycling.

Paul Jesson has recently finished his autobiography; ‘Oh, THAT Tour!’, the title coming from his introduction to the pro ranks. The book isn’t a conventionally structured tome, starting with a short chapter about the Paralympics time trial/road race bronze medal he came back and won in Athens some 24 years after his Vuelta stage win...

I was fortunate enough to get an interview with Steele Bishop back in 2017, at which time he told me he was writing a book about his career: ‘Wheels of Steel.’ The book takes us from his first tentative rides right up to the current day by way of his amateur and pro careers and goes into the fascinating ‘small print’ of his three big bids for the Worlds, culminating in his Zurich success.

Paul Jones had the rather splendid idea of writing a book about the man who was British Junior Road Race Champion, British Kilometre Champion, twice British Team Pursuit Champion, six times British 25 Mile Time Trial Champion and who unearthed the Holy Grail of time testing - the 30 miles per hour 25 mile time trial ride; stopping the clock in 49 minutes and 24 seconds in August 1978; Alf Engers.

Thomas Dekker was once the golden boy of Dutch cycling - a prodigy, a Vuelta stage winner, a Rabobank darling. But the same high-pressure, high-stakes world that made him a star also led him down the well-worn path of EPO, blood bags, and clandestine needlework in Spanish hotel rooms. "The Descent" isn’t just another doping confessional; it’s an unvarnished, often stomach-churning look at the moral rot that seeped into the sport during the late Armstrong era.

With Xmas rapidly approaching I was recently emailed to ask if I’d like to receive a Hinault, Kuiper, Lemond or Coppi fine bone china mug as a gift. They were all really nice but there’s something magical about that gorgeous Bianchi ‘celeste’ colour, so that’s what I’ll be drinking my Xmas coffee from – maybe with a shot of grappa in there.

Italian professional Marco Pinotti's new book, "The Cycling Professor" isn't so much a classic biography as a collection of anecdotes and experiences.

The new book by respected cycling journalist Ellis Bacon may help - the "World's Ultimate Cycling Races" is an eclectic mix of facts and stats about events all over the globe, from Pro level races such as the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana to MTB races, Gran Fondos and Sportives that anyone can take part in.

"Argyle Armada" by Mark Johnson takes readers on a journey into the world of professional cycling, specifically focusing on the Garmin-Cervélo team led by Jonathan Vaughters. The book offers a fascinating blend of captivating storytelling, really nice photography, and an exploration of the team's fight against doping, its difficult decisions, and quite a few personal dramas.

Bjarne Riis, The 'Eagle of Herning.' The man who, for a brief moment in 1996, soared higher than anyone else in the sport of cycling. A Tour de France winner and a man who later confessed to doping during his career. His autobiography, "Riis: Stages of Light and Dark", isn't just another ghostwritten puff piece designed to burnish a legacy or gloss over uncomfortable truths.

Joe Parkin’s "A Dog in a Hat" was a revelation - a raw, unvarnished account of an American kid chasing the European dream, hurling himself into the cobbled hell of Belgian kermesses, and earning his stripes the hard way. But what happens when the dream fades? When you come home and find that home isn’t quite as you remember it? That’s the story Parkin tells in "Come and Gone", the sequel to his Belgian adventure.

Chris Hoy - six-time Olympic gold medalist, eleven-time World Champion, knight of the realm and quite possibly the most famous Scotsman ever to turn a pedal in anger. His autobiography, simply titled "The Autobiography" takes us on the long road from BMX tracks and the Meadowbank velodrome in Edinburgh to the podium in Beijing and beyond.

If you’ve ever been to the finish line of a Tour de France sprint stage you’ll know the madness of it - the noise, the blur of colours, the sheer chaos of elbows, shoulders, and carbon fibre hurtling at 70 km/h. And in the thick of it, emerging like an Exocet missile from a lead-out train is Mark Cavendish, "The Manx Missile", the greatest pure sprinter the sport has ever seen. "Boy Racer" by Mark Cavendish, written when he was still ascending to the dizzying heights of legend captures the fire, the fury, and the unshakable self-belief that defines him.

Enter Joe Parkin, an American kid with dreams of racing the Tour de France but a road that led him first to the flat, wind-scoured farm roads of Flanders. "A Dog in a Hat" is his account of those years spent in Belgium - where he went from a naive outsider to a hardened pro battling the chaos of kermis racing.

There are cycling books, and then there are cycling books. Some go straight to the heart of why we ride, why we endure, why we suffer, and why – despite all the pain, the crashes, the early morning starts – we still turn the pedals. "The Escape Artist" by Matt Seaton is one such book, and if you've ever straddled a 753 Reynolds frame with 20mm tubs at 140psi, you'll understand why this one resonates so deeply.