Riding up hills is the ultimate challange for a cyclist. This guide is a compilation of some of the best hills in Cumbria and the Lake District. It's not just a definitive list of the Top 50 toughest climbs; instead, author James Allen has selected some of the most iconic, thrilling, interesting, varied and, of course, challenging hill climbs that this beautiful region has to offer. There's something for everyone, from the Weekend Warrior to the serious road racer. Just get out there and enjoy the ride!

Cycling in London is booming! Everywhere you look cyclists are zipping around the city; commuting to work, visiting friends or just riding for the pleasure of it. This book is written for anyone looking to ride new and interesting paths through the city. Detailing 50 beautiful rides that will charm and inspire you and indeed help you discover the city anew, "Where to Ride London" is the ultimate guide for recreational cyclists either native Londoners or riders visiting from abroad. There are 5 kids specific rides, great for youngsters and learners - and a further 21 tagged as 'kid friendly' for fledgling riders, helpful information for parents looking to get the family out and about on two wheels. Along with brilliant text from Nick Woodford, author and contributor to many other travel books like Rough Guides and Alistair Sawdays, there are around 180 evocative colour photos that capture the essence of life on two wheels in London. Crammed full of information on the history, culture, and people of London there is also loads of practical help on how to prepare and what to take with you.

Explore the Cotwolds off road with this laminated, waterproof Cotswolds map. With 10 clearly-marked routes this easy-to-use map will help you discover the best of the Cotswolds on your bike and off the road. From the gorgeous, honey-coloured stone villages to the dramatic rolling hills, the Cotswolds are a visual feast and perfect for exploring by bike. The Cotswolds are ideal for the touring cyclist and day-tripper. They represent England at her very best. Long, winding lanes connect beautiful villages with excellent pubs and friendly tearooms. The landscape you cycle through is rich in imagery with some of the tracks being prehistoric in origin. For the cross-country rider who wants long green lanes criss-crossing some of England's most beautiful landscapes, and linking some of the most beautiful villages, and all 100% rideable - then this is for you. 10 fantastic routes are included, from the Bibury Circuit and the Northleach Circuit to the Stow Slaughters Trail.

An Italian SCHINDLER'S LIST, this is the inspirational story of Gino Bartali, who made the greatest comeback in Tour de France history and secretly aided the Italian Resistance during the Second World War. ROAD TO VALOUR is the inspiring, against-the-odds story of Gino Bartali, the cyclist who made the greatest comeback in Tour de France history and still holds the record for the longest gap between victories. Yet it was his actions during the Second World War, when he secretly aided the Resistance, rather than his remarkable exploits on a bike, that truly cemented his place in the hearts and minds of the Italian people. Based on nearly ten years of research, and including fascinating new interviews, this is the only book written that fully explores the scope of Bartali's wartime work. A breathtaking account of one man's unsung heroism and his resilience in the face of adversity, this is an epic tale of courage, comeback and redemption, and the untold story of one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century.

'I pulled off my glasses and wiped my eyes. "That was perhaps the last race of my career..."' Deep down, Mark Cavendish thought he was finished. After illness, setbacks and clinical depression, the once fastest man in the world had been written off by most. And at the age of 36, even he believed his explosive cycling career would fade out with a whimper. The Manxman hadn't won a single Grand Tour stage in Italy, Spain or France since 2016. But then came his incredible resurrection at the 2021 Tour de France. Included on the Deceuninck Quick-Step team at the very last minute, only after Sam Bennett suffered an injury, Mark set about rewriting history. He claimed back the green jersey he first wore in 2011, and his four stage victories finally saw him matching Belgian legend Eddy Merckx's all-time record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. Cycling greats are never content, and Cav's dogged determination and inner strength had earned him the record that few believed he could ever achieve. This is his own intimate account of that race, right from the saddle of the miracle tour.

"After training with CINCH for the past three years, I've learned the cycling-specific techniques that make me a better rider and racer; healthier and injury-free; and more effective and positive off the bike." Lilburn Shaw, 2018 Masters Road National Champion Cycling on Form reveals the pro approach to cycling training. Riding a bike faster takes more than just fitness. It takes skills that you can master to become a faster, stronger rider. In his new guide, former professional bike racer Tom Danielson shows how to transform your cycling from amateur to professional level with the fitness and time you have now. Danielson reveals how the pros go beyond the modern standards of interval workouts, base-building, and recovery to train the whole athlete, mind and body. Danielson shows how to truly ride and train to the fullest through: * Fitness: Self-tests to identify your riding strengths and weaknesses then focus on custom training to address them. * Mental focus: The pros know that winning means using your head and your legs. You'll get pro tips on big-picture goal setting and mid-ride concentration strategies to help you stay focused. * Execution: Cycling is hard and executing a great ride when it matters takes practice. Danielson shares on-the-bike skills, efficient and powerful techniques, strategies to stay in the race, ways to finish with the lead group, and how to excel on a ride you've never done before. * Nutrition: Pro riders put sports nutrition into daily practice. Danielson distills the facts of diet, food as fuel, and fueling to recover. Too many cyclists train by trying to set new Strava PRs, only to get frustrated by the limited gains. There's a better way. Cycling On Form unlocks a pro method for riding faster and stronger.

When, during the Pyrenean stages of the 1998 Tour de France, a journalist asked Marco Pantani why he rode so fast in the mountains, the elfin Italian, unmistakeable in the bandanna and hooped ear-rings that played up to his "Pirate" nickname, replied: "To shorten my agony." Drawing on the fervour for these men of the mountains, Climbers looks at what sets these athletes apart within the world of bike racing, about why we love and cherish them, how they make cycling beautiful, and how they see themselves and the feats they achieve. Working chronologically, Peter Cossins explores the evolution of mountain-climbing. He offers a comprehensive view of the sport, combining contemporary reports with fresh one-to-one interviews with high-profile riders from the last 50 years, such as Cyrille Guimard, Hennie Kuiper and Andy Schleck. And, unlike many other cycling books, Climbers also includes the stories of female racers across the world, from Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Annemiek van Vleuten to Fabiana Luperini and Amanda Spratt. Climbers analyses the personalities of these racers, highlighting the individuality of climbing as an exercise and the fundamental fact that it's a solitary challenge undertaken in relentlessly unforgiving terrain that requires unremitting effort. Captivating and iconic, Climbers is the ultimate cycling book to understand what it takes both physically and mentally to take on the sport's hardest stages.

Has your bicycle become your biggest escape of late? Are you rediscovering the joy of two wheels? If so, then Back in the Frame from award-winning blogger, Lady Velo, is the book for you Jools Walker re-discovered cycling aged twenty-eight after a ten-year absence from the saddle. When she started blogging about her cycle adventures under the alias Lady Velo, a whole world was opened up to her. But it's hard to find space in an industry not traditionally open to women - especially women of colour. Shortly after getting back on two wheels, Jools was diagnosed with depression and then, in her early thirties, hit by a mini-stroke. Yet, through all of these punctures, one constant remained: Jools' love of cycling. In Back in the Frame Jools talks to the other female trailblazers who are disrupting the cycling narrative as well as telling the story of how she overcame her health problems, learned how to cycle her own path and even found a love of Lycra shorts along the way.

Plan a weekend of hiking, cycling, climbing, and paddling! Whether you're a novice or an experienced adventurer, North Carolina offers a variety of outdoor pursuits to enjoy-from camping in Pisgah National Forest to canoeing down the Nantahala River and hiking in the Croatan National Forest. There's no need to spend hours researching the best destinations or go on long, expensive trips. North Carolina Adventure Weekends by Jessie Johnson and Matt Schneider is for hikers who love to climb, paddlers who love to pedal, and anyone else whose idea of unwinding is an action-packed weekend in the great outdoors. With 12 exciting trips to choose from, you'll know where to stay and which adventures are truly weekend-worthy. Spend more time playing and less time driving from place to place. Each chapter in this full-color guide highlights a specific destination and includes hiking, cycling, climbing, and paddling opportunities rated for difficulty, as well as lodging options, restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops. You'll also get suggestions for where to stock up on supplies and what to do on a rainy day. With ideal outings for individuals, couples, families, and groups, get maximum adventure out of your weekends!

Revised reprint 2019 Scotland Mountain Biking - The Wild Trails features 24 of the best and more adventurous mountain bike rides in Scotland. The routes range from 6.5 to 290 kilometres in length, and are suitable for all levels of mountain bikers. Split into three sections, Southern & Central Scotland, North-West Scotland & Highlands, and North-East Scotland & Cairngorms, this book includes challenging mountain passes, magical woodland singletrack, Munro peaks and idyllic spins past ancient lochs. The routes include a classic Torridon Circuit, Glen Sligachan on Skye, man-made and natural trails around the Minch Moor at Innerleithen, Munro Mount Keen, the end-to-end Corrieyairack Pass, and a big-mountain loop around Ben Alder. A Bonus Section includes the Fort William to Montrose Coast to Coast route. The book is written by Scottish mountain bike guide Phil McKane and includes stunning photography by Andy McCandlish. It features Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps; easy-to-follow directions; details of distance, times and difficulty; and refreshment stops and local knowledge. Reprinted in 2019 with updated mapping and revisions.

Fully updated and revised, BestRail Trails Pacific Northwest is the complete guide to walking, jogging, biking, and cross-country skiing more than sixty of the best rail trails in one of the most beautiful and geographically varied reaches of America. Written by a local author with expert knowledge of the region, this easy-to-use book provides mile-by-mile descriptions of the most popular rural and urban rail trails in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, plus complete listings of the region's other rail trails-from Washington's Burke Gilman Trail that passes above the old sand point naval base, to Idaho's Route of the Hiawatha Trail, renowned for its tunnels. Look inside to find: Full trail profiles, including length, access points, difficulty rating, and surface type Detailed trail maps Full-color photos GPS coordinates At-a-glance icons for easy identification of rail trails that best suit one's interests Information on wheelchair accessibility; availability of parking, restrooms, and places to eat along the trail; locations of ranger stations, visitor's centers, and depot museums; and where to rent bikes

THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER What makes a man the greatest of all time? Eddy Merckx is to cycling what Muhammad Ali is to boxing or Pele to football: quite simply, the best there has ever been. Merckx was a machine. It wasn't just the number of victories (445); it was his remorseless domination that created the legend. He didn't just beat his opponents, he crushed them. But his triumphs only tell half a story that includes horrific injury, a doping controversy and tragedy. He was nicknamed 'The Cannibal' for his insatiable appetite for victory, but the moniker did scant justice to a man who was handsome, sensitive and surprisingly anxious. Britain's leading cycling writer, William Fotheringham, goes back to speak to those who were there at the time and those who knew Merckx best to find out what made Eddy Merckx so invincible. 'The full unvarnished of one man's heaven, and hell, on wheels' Independent

No sporting event has had its past and present, its highs and lows so intricately entwined with those of a country like the Tour has with France. The Tour de France is the biggest annual sporting event in the world, and at the same time it transcends sport. The Tour de France comes to the people. It passes their houses, it turns right in their village squares, it thunders through their suburban streets and into the hearts of their towns and cities. It is a unique event in that people don't so much go to see the Tour, as it comes to see them. A Race for Madmen traces how the Tour de France has developed and examines tactics, bike technology and rider preparation too. It profiles some of the men who have won the Tour de France, and others who have been key players, looking closely at their lives and motivation. Subsidiary competitions, such as the King of the Mountains prize, are featured, as well as Tour lore and traditions. The book examines the Tour's extraordinary history, and how a bike race, a simple sporting contest captured the imagination of a country, then a continent and then the world, while at the same time it has stayed uniquely French, even though a Frenchman hasn't won it for over 20 years.

A history and celebration of women's cycling-beginning with its origins as a political statement, beloved pastime, and early feminist act-that shares the stories of notable cyclists and groups around the world More than a century after they first entered the mainstream, bicycles and the culture around them are as accessible as ever-but for women, that progress has always been a struggle to achieve, and even now the culture remains overwhelmingly male. In Revolutions, author Hannah Ross highlights the stories of extraordinary women cyclists and all-female cycling groups over time and around the world, and demonstrates both the feminist power of cycling and its present-day issues. A cyclist herself, Ross puts a spotlight on the many incredible women and girls on bicycles from then to now-many of whom had to endure great opposition to do so, beginning in the 1880s, when the first women began setting distance records, racing competitively, and using bicycles to spread the word about women's suffrage. Revolutions also celebrates women setting records and demanding equality in competitive cycling, as well as cyclists in countries including Afghanistan, India, and Saudi Arabia who are inspiring women to take up space on the road, trails, and elsewhere. Both a history of women's cycling and an impassioned manifesto, Revolutions challenges a male-dominated narrative that has long prevailed in cycling and celebrates the excellence of women in the culture.

Remarkable Bicycle Rides includes a wide variety of cycling challenges from the exhilaration of high alpine trails to more gentler touring routes, such as Hadrian's Cycleway, which crosses from Britain's Solway Firth to the North Sea following the line of Roman monument Hadrian's Wall. There are the classic mountain climbs beloved of followers of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, such as the climb to Mont Ventoux in France and the Stelvio Pass in Italy. Still in Italy, there is the mass participation of L'Eorica, a bike tour in traditional costume on vintage bikes. For those wishing to push themselves to the very edge (literally) there is the Yungas Road in Bolivia whose alternative name is El Camino de la Muerte (Death Road). Long-distance trails, such as the Great Divide (Canada/USA) and the Great North Trail (England/Scotland) can form an epic trip of a lifetime, or be tackled in smaller sections. On more robust wheels there is the A-Line single track in Whistler, Canada, and The Whole Enchilada in Moab, Utah. If you like your cycling on a flatter incline, many routes follow old railway beds, such as the Hiawatha and the Katy Trails in the USA, P'tit Train Du Nord (Canada) or the Parenzana which crosses from Italy to Slovenia to Croatia, plus many of the European routes follow great rivers. Also included in over 50 routes; Danube Cycle Path, Ring of Kerry, Iron Curtain Trail, Vasco-Navarro Greenway, Flanders Beer Route, Carretera Austral (Chile), the San Juan Islands, Norway Postal Boat, the Loire Valley, Passau to Vienna, Munda Biddi Trail, Shimanami Kaido (Japan), Route des Grands Crus (Burgundy), Nantes to Orleans, Paris to Mont St.Michel, Great North Trail, Alpine Panorama, Salzach Valley, Otago Peninsular, Route 10 Holland, Garden Route (South Africa), and the Hebridean Way.

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'.

The guide features 350 of the most beautiful and scenic cycling routes all over Europe, carefully curated for cyclists of every level and ability from easy, scenic lowland countryside to visually glorious, more strenuous routes in the Alps and the Carpathians. The book also includes routes that enable the user to re-create itineraries from the Tour de France or Giro d Italia. This is the best European cycling guide ever assembled with the aid of Strava, the mapping app that includes information from the world s most knowledgeable and expert cyclists who have critically reviewed and rated them. It contains maps, technical details, tourist information, and tips. Included are urban tours that highlight Europe s cultural glories and routes that highlight the continent s breathtaking natural beauty. The book is organized into nine regional sections covering mainland Europe from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula to Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the boot of Italy.

'There is me trailing home 131st and, for all I know, I might be a top 50 rider if we all started on a level playing field . . . Bollocks to you all. You are a bunch of cheating bastards. At least I can look myself in the mirror.' Bradley Wiggins contemplates Floyd Landis testing positive for testosterone in the 2006 Tour de France. This 2010 account was an instant book published in the autumn following the Tour. Part day-by-day diary, it includes wider, deeper reflections on the history of the Tour, its famous figures and what they mean to him and is also illustrated with Scott Mitchell's atmospheric, black and white photography. The Tour was featured in Wiggins's 2008 autobiography, In Pursuit of Glory, but really only in the light of a scandal he was caught up in at the time. The emphasis of his previous memoir was very much on his childhood, his father and track cycling at the Olympics; here, Wiggins' new found love of road racing, and its pinnacle, the Tour de France, take centre stage, particularly the gruelling 2010 race, which although played out somewhat in the shadow of his high finish in 2009, was nevertheless an exemplary exercise in true grit and fighting spirit against the odds.

n this beautifully illustrated guide to travelling across France by bike you will discover hidden lanes, stunning gorges, amazing places to eat and stay, plus the best of French cycling culture. This iconic journey of more than 1000 miles takes you through no fewer than 21 of France's regional departements and into some of the country's most striking and dramatic landscapes helping you to discover the true heart of rural France. Ride one section, follow a mini itinerary, or complete the entire challenge! Starting in St.Malo on the coast of Brittany the route winds its way through quiet lanes on the banks of rivers, through dramatic gorges and quintessentially French villages before reaching the dazzling glamour of Nice on the French Riviera. Beautifully illustrated maps, detailed directions and PDF downloads guide you along the route providing essential information and revealing the many hidden secrets of the area.

Jools Walker rediscovered cycling aged twenty-eight after a ten-year absence from the saddle. When she started blogging about her cycle adventures under the alias Lady Vélo, a whole world was opened up to her. But it's hard to find space in an industry not traditionally open to women - especially women of colour.

Shortly after getting back on two wheels, Jools was diagnosed with depression and then, in her early thirties, hit by a mini-stroke. Yet, through all of these punctures, one constant remained: Jools' love of cycling.

In Back in the Frame Jools talks to the other female trailblazers who are disrupting the cycling narrative as well as telling the story of how she overcame her health problems, learned how to cycle her own path and even found a love of Lycra shorts along the way.

The Tour de France is always one of the sporting calendar's most spectacular and dramatic events. But the 1998 Tour provided drama like no other. As the opening stages in Ireland unfolded, the Festina team's soigneur Willy Voet was arrested on the French-Belgian border with a car-load of drugs. Raid after police raid followed, with arrest after arrest hammering the Tour. In protest, there were riders' strikes and go-slows, with several squads withdrawing en masse and one expelled. By the time the Tour reached Paris, just 96 of the 189 starters remained. And of those 189 starters, more than a quarter were later reported to have doped. The 1998 'Tour de Farce's' status as one of the most scandal-struck sporting events in history was confirmed. Voet's arrest was just the beginning of sport's biggest mass doping controversy - what became known as the Festina affair. It all but destroyed professional cycling as the credibility of the entire sport was called into question and the cycling family began to split apart. And yet, ironically, the 1998 Tour was also one of the best races in years. The End of the Road is the first English-language book to provide in-depth analysis and a colourful evocation of the tumultuous events during the 1998 Tour. Alasdair Fotheringham uncovers, step by step, how the world's biggest bike race sank into a nightmarish series of scandals that left the sport on its knees. He explores its long-term consequences - and what, if any, lessons were learned.

The Official Tour de France Road Cycling Training Guide taps into the minds of the riders, coaches and experts who have experienced or raced the Tour de France first hand. Giving amateur cyclists the insider knowledge on how to adapt their training, nutrition and mental preparation for potentially their toughest day out on a bike. Alongside lifelong advice to improve your cycling performance, the book gives structured guidance on how to plan your season, incorporating some of the key training and nutrition strategies adopted by professional cyclists. This also includes unlocking and decoding training data, which has become a key aspect of cycling training, utilising training off the bike as well as on it and breaking down the psychological barriers that can hold some cyclists back.