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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading
The Golden Girl of British cycling opens up, for the first time, in searingly honest detail about what drives her to compete in a sport she no longer loves. Written with Donald McRae, 2-time winner of the William Hill Award, "Between the Lines" is a gripping story of success against the odds. Victoria Pendleton MBE is not your typical female athlete. Admired as much by the weekly glossies as she is the newspaper back pages, she transcends her sport. In 2005 she became first British female to win Gold at the cycling World Championships in 40 years. She followed it up with gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and another World Championship in 2007. Arriving in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games, Pendleton was on top of the world, taking Gold and joining the ranks of British Olympic heroes. And then it started to go wrong. Feted by the press and the public alike, behind the scenes the cracks and strains started to show. Despite retaining her World Champion status in 2009, it was a close run thing and her shield of invincibility started to drop. Victoria was falling out of love with her sport. The sport that had made her was starting to tear her apart. Between the Lines documents the considerable lows as well as the highs and reveals what it took to turn her life around and achieve glory at London 2012.
A fascinating, mind-boggling account of young athletes in their
prime destroyed in the hell of war. A mesmerizing view of cycling
in its golden age, and the darkness that followed.
The Rules is an essential part of every cyclist s kit whether you re riding to work or training to be the next Bradley Wiggins or Victoria Pendleton. Winning awards and gaining millions of viewers, Velominati.com has become an online cycling mecca. In 92 canonical rules, these masters of the peloton share tips on gear, tell stories from cycling s legendary hardmen, and enforce the etiquette of the road with a healthy, often sinister sense of humor. Practical and motivating (Rule #12: the correct number of bikes to own is N + 1, where N is the number of bikes currently owned), unflinching and authoritative (Rule #9: If you re out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.), The Rules will help readers find their cycling passion, whether it s in high alpine passes or tight velodrome races, in the garage before the ride or in the bar afterward. Vive la Vie Velominatus."
Cycling fans obsess about climbs and big mountains. They love reading about their tests and tribulations and they love to ride them - a cricket lover can never bat at Lord's, or a football supporter score at Wembley, but any rider can take on the challenge of an iconic mountain. This is Geraint Thomas's inside guide to 25 of the greatest cycling climbs in the world. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru
'Eye-opening and inspirational . . . An utterly fascinating and gloriously fiery read' FELICITY CLOAKE 'A barnstorming book' GUARDIAN 'Fascinating . . . full of inspirational tales' OBSERVER Simone de Beauvoir borrowed her lover's bike to cycle around Paris in the 1940s, instantly falling in love with the freedom it gave her (even when an accident caused her to lose a tooth). Alice Hawkins, a factory worker from Leicester, pedal-powered her fight for universal suffrage as the bicycle became a cornerstone of her work to recruit women to the cause. Zahra Naarin Hussano challenged religious and cultural taboos in Afghanistan to ride a bike and teach others to do the same. As a twenty-four-year-old Latvian immigrant living in Boston, in 1894 Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky became the first woman to cycle around the world. She took up the challenge, despite never having ridden a bike before, after two men bet a woman couldn't do it. Many of these women were told they couldn't or shouldn't cycle, but they did so anyway. Whether winning medals or spreading the word about votes for women, their stories are an inspiration. In this gloriously celebratory book, Hannah Ross introduces us to the women who are part of the rich and varied history of cycling, many of whom have been pushed to the margins or forgotten.
"The Curse of the Rainbow Jersey "is a peculiar lens on the history of professional cycling. It examines the infamous curse associated with wearers of the tunic awarded to the winner of the World Cycling Championships. The opening chapters look at how the curse originated with the death of Stan Ockers in 1955, other famous sports curses (including Curse of the Bambino, the US Masters Par 3 curse, and the curse placed on the Australian soccer team by a witch doctor), and also the history of the world cycling championships. The main body of the book is comprised of chapters dedicated to particular wearers of the rainbow jersey who were struck by misfortune, personal tragedy, or death. Examples include Paolo Bettini, whose brother died in a car crash on the way to a party to celebrate Paolo's win; Jean-Pierre Monsere, who died in a race while wearing the jersey; and Tommy Simpson, who died while racing two years after being crowned champion. The ill fortune visited upon wearers of the rainbow jersey is bizarre and tragic; but is it anything more than random chance? The final chapter of the book evaluates whether this level of bad luck is higher than for any other sample of humanity. A chilling look at the history of cycling, sure to fascinate any fan of the sport. Graham Healy is a cyclist and journalist living in Dublin, Ireland.
The Olympic cycling sport of keirin was invented in Japan more than 70 years ago to raise money to rebuild the country after World War II. Now, fans bet billions of dollars a year on races, with the top riders earning huge sums. In each race, a pacemaker leads nine riders around huge concrete velodromes, then leaves the track with around a lap and a half to go - the cue for a frantic finish as the competitors reach speeds of up to 70 kph. Along the way they block and shove each other, clash heads and occasionally crash (the two Japanese characters used to write keirin mean 'battle' and 'wheel'). To prevent race fixing, the cyclists spend meets living in dorms, with no access to online technology. Their lives are ruled by ritual and fierce competition, from their rookie days at the Japan Keirin School near Mount Fuji to the annual Grand Prix final, whose winner takes home prize money of almost one million dollars. A small number of foreign riders are invited to compete in Japan every year and some, like Shane Perkins, have overcome culture shock to prosper in the home of keirin. The Olympic version - which has made stars of Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Victoria Pendleton - is being taken more seriously in Japan as Tokyo prepares to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. Justin McCurry, the Guardian's Japan and Korea correspondent, explores a blue-collar Japan we rarely see and a uniquely fascinating sporting culture.
Shortlisted for the Cross Sports Award Cycling Book of the Year 10 gold medals don't come easy... First comes the graft. Thousands of hours on the pedals, forever turning left, following that black line round, pushing your body harder than it is designed to go. Then comes the sacrifice. All familiar pleasures stripped away in search of perfection. Then the pain. Muscles burning, stomach churning, an ache in the bones. To pull all of this together to achieve an Olympic gold is impressive; to be part of a couple doing this in the same sport is rare; to do it ten times between you is unprecedented. Laura Trott and Jason Kenny, Britain's most successful female and male Olympians, invite us into their world, on to the boards of the velodrome and down the back straight of British pro cycling to give us the inside track on what it takes to become a champion. This is the story of the races that gripped a nation; one of sprints and pursuits, tactics, mind games, medals and trials; of being so tired you collapse by the side of the track, so out of form you can't finish a practice session; of what goes through the mind of an Olympian as they power towards the finish line; and of how a boy from Bolton and a girl from Cheshunt became the best in the world, while finding in each other the perfect partner.
Greg LeMond, 'L'Americain': fresh-faced, prodigious newcomer. This is supposed to be his year. Bernard Hinault, 'The Badger': aggressive, headstrong, five-time winner of the Tour. He has pledged his unwavering support to his team mate, LeMond. The team is everything in cycling, so the world watches, stunned, as LeMond and Hinault's explosive rivalry plays out over three high-octane weeks. Slaying the Badger relives the adrenaline and agony as LeMond battles to become the first American to win the Tour, with the Badger relentlessly on the attack. Includes brand new material for the paperback.
Hampshire and the New Forest offer many opportunities for excellent cycling. The 20 circular routes vary in length from 16 to 27 miles and are fully described in the text and shown on the accompanying maps. Perfect for leisure cyclists, family groups and even the seasoned cyclist. There are routes through the beautiful landscape and charming villages of the New Forest around Damerham, Fritham and Burley; along stretches of delightful coastline at Buckler's Hard and Lepe with truly exhilarating views from the South Downs and the 'Hampshire Highlands' around Hurstbourne Tarrant; and along the lush valleys of the river Itchen and the Meon with their abundance of wildlife.
An inspiring and thought-provoking new book that explains the power of applying reverse-engineering to all areas of your life, from a cycling champion who has proven its success. Dan Bigham is the captain of an amateur British track cycling team who rose from obscurity to beat professional, multi-million-pound teams at the highest level. Alongside hard work and dedication, Dan credits his success to one thing: reverse-engineering the result. In Start at the End, Dan uses his own story as well as wider examples and case studies from the worlds of business, personal development and other sports to demonstrate how this approach can help you succeed in any walk of life. Following each stage of the process, from setting goals and assessing your tools to developing the plan and delivering optimum performance, this book will fully explain how to set out and enact the system. A revolutionary new look at a powerful age-old wisdom, Start at the End is a fascinating exploration of how we can achieve success and proof that no goal is impossible. *** 'Start at the End isn't just a great story, but a really nice reminder of how to approach performance forensically, intelligently and purposefully – and that these lessons don't just belong in cycling but in all areas of high performance' Dr Josie Perry 'Phenomenal ... Absolutely fascinating ... Incredible stuff, really clever' Stephen Dixon, Sky News
Japanese bicycles have long been at the forefront of both competitive and recreational cycling from top-flight racing bicycles to collectible custom fixed-gear frames. This comprehensive and stunningly illustrated book presents a fascinating overview of the most prolific and celebrated period of Japanese bicycle design, between the 1950s and the 80s, when uniquely talented artisanal craftsmen produced some of the most iconic bicycles of the twentieth century. From the recognisable silhouettes of major manufacturers like Fuji, Panasonic, and Bridgestone to the rarest frames from artisanal builders like 3-Rensho or Nagasawa, Japanese bicycle designers dominated the cycling world and created machines that are still revered today. Illustrated with specially commissioned photographs of fully restored bikes, and supplemented with artifacts and ephemera from technical manuals to photography of the legendary Keirin racing circuits, this book is must-have for anyone with an interest in cycling and the phenomenon of Japanese design.
The gripping and revealing autobiography of one of Britain's most successful international cyclists of the modern era 'Getting in a break was my one chance of winning. The hard part was working out, again and again, how to make that chance count' Sharp, resourceful and a permanent outsider; for nearly 20 years Steve Cummings determinedly blazed his own winning trail in international cycling. A maverick who defied the dominant teams, to record a sequence of gloriously improbable victories, he has lived and raced with legends of the sport - Cavendish, Wiggins, Froome, Thomas and others - about whom he has strong views and untold stories. This autobiography of one of Britain's most successful international riders of the modern era takes the reader from Steve's earliest days as a junior, pounding across the flatlands of the Wirral, through his love-hate relationships with the British Cycling track cycling squad, to his series of top-level breakaway victories in the Tour de France, Tour of Britain and Vuelta a Espana and - rather than standout physical talent - how developing his own strategies and training techniques enabled him to succeed against the odds. The Break will be the first full-length account of the life and times of, in the words of ProCycling magazine, a 'universally popular and respected rider in the cycling world'.
'It wasn't a race but a war game' Bernard Hinault 'Without question, the hardest one-day bike race ever created' George Hincapie The Tour of Flanders - known to cycling fans as the Ronde - is the biggest one-day bike race in the world. It is a potent mix of grit, cobbles, steep climbs, narrow roads, national pride, beer, brutal weather and the maddest, most passionate fans in the sport. It's the Tour de France boiled down into a single day of non-stop action - the Belgian equivalent of the Grand National, Wimbledon and the FA Cup final. And there's yet more to it than that. Edward Pickering tells the story of the Tour of Flanders, its history, culture and meaning, through the prism of the 2011 Ronde, an incredible edition that was one of the most exciting bike races of the past half-century. He weaves the narrative of that day into a broader study of the race, with eyewitness accounts from the key locations of the Ronde and dozens of interviews with the riders. The Ronde is a textured portrait of a race, but it also explores the deep links between bike races and the landscape and culture in which they take place, and explains how cycling works, with the most detailed analysis of a single event ever seen.
At fifty-four, Alenka was running out of time to follow through on a dream she’d written down in her pocket-size Rumi book just after her first marriage crumbled. Years later, as she slowly rebuilt her life with her second husband, things started spiraling out of control. The only way she knew how to heal and connect all painful parts of her life was by riding her bike, and she didn’t want to have regrets. But was she brave enough to embark on an unknown path and risk losing everything . . . perhaps even her own life? Determined to awaken her dying spirit and heal her battered body, Alenka loaded her mountain bike with 50 pounds’ worth of camping gear and set off on a 2,500-mile journey. Starting in Lake Tahoe California, she hoped to ride along the Sierra Nevada Mountain range to the tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, following remote mountain trails. Alone. What followed was an irrevocably transformational journey of love, hope, courage, and resilience—and here, Alenka tells that story in a voice stripped of self-pity and infused with a good dose of humor. She Rides is a galvanizing wake-up call for anyone who wants to unearth and follow their own deeply buried dreams—and reclaim their life.
Finally, the authoritative resource that serious cyclists have been waiting for has arrived. The perfect blend of science and application, Cycling Science takes you inside the sport, into the training room and research lab, and onto the course. A remarkable achievement, Cycling Science features the following: * Contributions from 43 top cycling scientists and coaches from around the world * The latest thinking on the rider-machine interface, including topics such as bike fit, aerodynamics, biomechanics, and pedaling technique * Information about environmental stressors, including heat, altitude, and air pollution * A look at health issues such as on-bike and off-bike nutrition, common injuries, fatigue, overtraining, and recovery * Help in planning training programs, including using a power meter, managing cycling data, off-the-bike training, cycling specific stretching, and mental training * The latest coaching and racing techniques, including pacing theories, and strategies for road, track, MTB, BMX, and ultra-distance events In this book, editors and cycling scientists Stephen Cheung, PhD, and Mikel Zabala, PhD, have assembled the latest information for serious cyclists.
This cycling guidebook follows the course of a new cycling route around the North Coast of Scotland, described as Scotland's own Route 66. Since its launch in 2015 this route - branded as 'North Coast 500' (NC500) - has proved to be a resounding success, with motorists, motorcyclists and cyclists flocking to Inverness to put rubber to the road, driving and riding through some of the most spectacular scenery in the United Kingdom. This guidebook is aimed specifically at cyclists, describing the entire coastal route over seven stages. A sketch plan, elevation graphs and turn-by-turn directions are given to each stage; points of interest are highlighted, and in many cases illustrated; helpful sections on travel to Inverness, nutrition, navigation and emergency cycle repairs; alternative route is offered to the busy and challenging A9 section south of Wick and finally, a full list of accommodation providers to suit all budgets.
Experienced Footprint author Chris Moran (co-author of Mountain Biking Europe and Snowboarding the World) brings you the fully revised & updated guide to mountain bike riding in Britain. Mountain Biking Britain takes you cross-country, scoping the best trail centres from Golspie and the Kyle of Sutherland trails in the north of Scotland, down through the Seven Staines in Scotland and all the way through to the Mineral Tramways Project in Cornwall. Featuring the most picturesque rides in South Wales, where to find the best northshore rides and the top bikeparks of England. Whether you prefer downhill, XC (cross-country), or freestyle/freeriding, this definitive guide ensures there's something for everyone. - Detailed coverage of the UK's high profile centres - All the essentials: top tips, local media and websites, the scene, secret spots and must-sees - The best rider-friendly places to eat, sleep and drink - 'Riders tales' sections include lots of hints and tips from pro-riders and experts in the mountain-biking scene
Explore the Lake District by bike with this laminated, waterproof Lake District map. With 15 circular, clearly-marked routes this easy-to-use map will help you discover the very best of the Lake District along the quietest country lanes. The Lake District offers some stunning countryside and a glorious coastline ideal for exploring by bike. It can be challenging but there's always a rewarding view just around the corner. Discover some wonderful winding lanes that connect beautiful villages with excellent pubs and friendly tearooms. Our Lake District Cycling Country Lanes map includes: * Traffic-free family cycling trails - with recommendations on where to park. * National Cycle Network routes - the linked series of traffic-free paths and traffic-calmed roads being developed across the UK. * Our personal favourites - we've explored every corner of this glorious National Park to bring you the best circular routes to make the most of your weekend whether you fancy a lazy meander or a full-on tour. These beautiful routes are all clearly marked on the map and designed to follow the quietest country lanes and to introduce you to the very best of the Lake District. (Scale: 2 miles to 1 inch | 1:126 720)
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