One man, one bike, one hour. The inside story of Bradley Wiggins's record-breaking ride For 60 minutes this summer, the British public stopped what they were doing, switched on their radios, their TVs, refreshed their Twitter feeds and followed Bradley Wiggins's attempt to break one of sport's most gruelling records: The Hour. The premise is simple enough: how far can you cycle in one hour. But it is thought to be one of the toughest events an athlete can endure, both physically and psychologically. Eddy Merckx, cycling's uber-champ, called it the hardest thing he ever did. Wiggins, like many before him, discovered the unique pain of pushing yourself as hard as you can for 60 minutes. In this revealing book, Bradley Wiggins takes you behind the scenes of his record attempt. From planning to preparation, to training to execution, Bradley shares his thoughts on his sacrifices, his heroes, and the people who have supported him along the way as well as what's to come as he heads towards the twilight of his stellar career. Supported by stunning photography, My Hour is a fitting celebration of one of Britain's best-loved sportsmen in his finest hour.

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD* The Rhine is one of the world's greatest rivers. Once forming the outer frontier of the Roman Empire, it flows 800 miles from the social democratic playground of the Netherlands, through the industrial and political powerhouses of Germany and France, to the wealthy mountain fortresses of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. For five years, Ben Coates lived alongside a major channel of the river in Rotterdam, crossing it daily, swimming and sailing in its tributaries. In The Rhine, he sets out by bicycle from the Netherlands where it enters the North Sea, following it through Germany, France and Liechtenstein, to its source in the icy Alps. He explores the impact that the Rhine has had on European culture and history and finds out how influences have flowed along and across the river, shaping the people who live alongside it. Blending travelogue and offbeat history, The Rhine tells the fascinating story of how a great river helped shape a continent.

The last quarter of a century has seen major developments in the world of cycling. Heart-rate monitors, GPS and smartphone apps are all used by riders of all abilities up and down the country as part of their training programme, but it is the power meter that really stands out as the ultimate tool for any cyclist who wishes to train to their full potential. Power has become the common currency of training discussions amongst the growing number of cyclists who have splashed out on a power meter. But does the average cyclist fully understand the figures displayed on their bike computer screens and, even if they do, can they use that information in the most effective way? Professor Louis Passfield was the first scientist in the UK to work and study with power meters. In this book Professor Passfield shares some of his vast experience and shows that you don't have to be a pro cyclist, triathlete, or coach to reap the benefits of training with a power meter.

For Anna, a cycling enthusiast, the decision to ride 4,000 miles solo around the coast of the UK wasn't that hard. Following the river from London until it became the sea, then following the sea until it reached the mouth of the Thames again was a beautifully simple idea. But after epic highs, incredible lows, unforgettable scenery and unpronounceable place names - as well as a hearty battle with some good old British weather - her simple idea turns into a compelling journey of self-discovery, and an eye-opening insight into what makes the island where she lives so special.

Explore Kent by bike with this laminated, waterproof Kent map. With 21 circular, clearly-marked routes this easy-to-use map will help you discover the best of Kent along the quietest country lanes. Kent is a county of great variety and it is this that makes it such an interesting destination for cycling. The close proximity to London and its suburbs makes it a draw for those seeking the joy of the open road with the added bonus of looking forward to a village cream tea or pint of frothy Kentish ale. Our Kent Cycling Country Lanes map includes: * Traffic-free family cycling trails - including Bedgebury Forest, Crab & Winkle Way and The Viking Coastal Trail 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 Kent 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. The routes recommended, are circular and follow the natural course of the land. They take advantage of Kent's many attractions; villages, churches, the landscape and will leave you with an abiding love for this "Garden of England".

Nutrition for Cyclists is essential reading for all keen riders who want to learn about what, when and how much to eat and drink to improve their performance. This practical book shows cyclists how to design the right diet that will allow them to incorporate a rigorous training regime into a busy lifestyle. With over 30 years' experience of working with sportsmen and women at the highest levels, Jane Griffin explains the background science behind her dietary advice and addresses the day-to-day concerns of today's two-wheeled enthusiasts. Topics include: the energy requirements of the cyclist; effective meal planning for training and competition; how to stay hydrated and how to rehydrate efficiently; eating to aid recovery from illness or injury; supplements and Ergogenic Aids; how to lose weight and maintain performance and finally, special advice for younger, older, female and vegetarian cyclists.

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.

Rule #6: Free your mind and your legs will follow. THE VELOMINATI embrace cycling not as a pastime, but as a way of life, as obsessed with style, heritage, authenticity and wisdom as with performance. Rule #9: If you cycle in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period. THE RULES is their Bible. It is an essential part of every cyclist's arsenal - whether you're grudgingly cycling to work in the rain or gearing up to be the next Bradley Wiggins, Chris Hoy or Victoria Pendleton. Rule #12: The correct number of bikes to own is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned.

E-Bike is the essential guide to this exciting technology and way of riding. From features, benefits, pros and cons, and the best ways to take advantage of motor-assisted cycling, E-Bike shows how to get the best bike for you and how your new e-bike will improve your cycling. Electric bikes are a new and fast-changing technology that's poised to transform how Americans ride bicycles, commute to work, and get around town. But in a market crowded with makes, models, and features, which e-bike is best for you? E-bike expert Martin Haussermann explores this exciting new way of riding a bicycle to share all the information e-bike shoppers and owners need. With guidance from VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari, custom e-bike framebuilder Lennard Zinn, and cycling retail journalist Stephen Frothingham, E-Bike offers the e-bike curious the essential guide to e-bike tech, formats, and uses. Whether you're looking for a city commuter, a speedy road bike, or a mountain bike, you can get up to speed on e-bike motors, drivetrains, brakes, and suspensions. Haussermann offers insights on e-bike handling, maintenance, and e-bike touring that makes clear all the benefits an e-bike can bring to your riding. Electric bikes are here, and E-Bike shares the best ways to take advantage of motor-assisted cycling.

The must-read practical guide to what to eat (on and off the bike) for any cyclist looking for a training or performance advantage.

If you're looking for success on the bike what you eat is at the core of all your training. You are what you eat - and if you're on the bike for long periods and expecting results then your diet is crucial. Get it wrong and you can feel sluggish and below par - but eat right and all the training and preparation will be worth it. Nigel Mitchell, head of nutrition at Cannondale-Drapac, is at the pinnacle of delivering cutting edge nutrition, and has demonstrated this at the elite level of cycling. Now Nigel lifts the lid on his nutritional secrets and the knowledge and experience gained from working with the top professional to help you get the most from your diet to fuel your cycling and gain a performance advantage. This accessible and practical toolkit features crucial rules to follow and 24 nutritional recipes for breakfast, main meals and snacks.

This is a no-nonsense and non-faddy approach to a subject that's often shrouded in mystery and pseudo-science. Pro rider anecdotes and race case studies feature throughout to help you identify your own requirements.

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.

For those new to BMX racing or improving their racing performance, BMX Racing, provides a practical and comprehensive resource for this exciting sport. It guides the reader through all stages and levels of racing, from beginner and club to professional level. Topics covered include: clothing and equipment for safe riding; choosing your first BMX bike; understanding the BMX track; getting started in racing and competition structure through the national, international and Olympic levels. Finally, there is practical instruction on techniques including balance, accelerating, cornering and jumping.

When windmill-dodgers David Bristow and Steve Thomas followed their dream to blaze (and map) a mountain bike trail across South Africa, they hoped to be spared howling headwinds, freezing rain and slushy terrain. They weren't, yet were not deterred from having a mud-splattering good time. The result, the Spine of the Dragon trail, is the country's ultimate mountain bike tour, covering a distance of 4000km from Beit Bridge to Cape Town. Aimed at the average off-road rider, the 58-day trail through South Africa and Lesotho is broken into nine sections, each with several stages. The entire course can be done in one go, or as a series of shorter rides – ideal for those with boundless enthusiasm but limited time. The authors offer valuable advice on preparing for the trail that includes suggested clothing, gear, bike maintenance, food and safety. Each day’s route is described in detail and includes: Customised, annotated map with GPS points; total daily distance; difficulty grading: from short and easy to long and hard; entertaining insight into the people and places along the way; engaging photographs; accommodation suggestions and contact details.

The SUNDAY TIMES bestselling memoir from the Tour de France cyclist who lifts the lid on his drug use and return to sport. By his eighteenth birthday David Millar was living and racing in France, sleeping in rented rooms, tipped to be the next English-speaking Tour winner. A year later he'd realised the dream and signed a professional contract. He perhaps lived the high life a little too enthusiastically - he broke his heel in a fall from a roof after too much drink, and before long the pressure to succeed had tipped over into doping. Here, in a full and frank autobiography, David Millar recounts the story from the inside: he doped because 'cycling's drug culture was like white noise', and because of peer pressure. 'I doped for money and glory in order to guarantee the continuation of my status.' Five years on from his arrest, Millar is clean and reflective, and holds nothing back in this account of his dark years.

"Mountain Biking Tricks and Techniques" is the definitive guide to riding a mountain bike. Within its pages, you will find everything you need to know from the basics of how to balance on a bike right through to how to back flip one giving aspiring riders the skills they need to be a better biker - whatever type of riding they do. Your guide is Martyn Ashton, a man who's spent nearly 20 years at the top of the UK scene, and the book is beautifully illustrated throughout by photographer Robin Kitchin. Martyn's guide to mountain biking skills takes you from first principles to professional moves in ten chapters, with each trick described in enthusiastic detail and illustrated with images that are both inspirational and educational. This is not a book for showing off: the techniques are the building blocks for all your riding, giving you the skills you need to make yourself a more complete biker.

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.

Freedom rider is an adventure in extreme endurance sport, as well as an inquiry into the unique story of our fascinating country. When journalist Kevin Davie started riding his mountain bike in remote, wide-open South African spaces he found himself on a 10 000 km journey that tested his courage and determination through blizzards, lightning and hail storms as well as forty degree heat, forging new trails through rocky and mountainous terrain. On his journey, Kevin completed the Freedom Challenge, the Spine (the Drakensberg from end to end), the Ride to Rhodes and the Ganna (Beitbridge to Cape Town). This is riding minimalism, the rider carrying all his requirements without any back-up vehicle. Two of the longest rides, 5 000 kms in all, are ridden solo. This is his story - why athletes push themselves to rise to the challenge of extreme sport - as well as an account of the country and the incredible warmth and support from locals who reach out to help in so many ways.

The 20 circular routes vary in length from 61/2 to 27 miles and are fully described in the text and shown on the accompanying maps. The rides visit a wide variety of interesting and historic sites including the picturesque village of Great Tew; the Victorian tower brewery at Hook Norton; the church at Bloxham; Shotover Country Park with its spectacular views and Great Coxwell Barn. The book also covers the type of terrain to be covered and where to find refreshments along the way, as well as brief notes about places of interest en route or nearby.

From short, easy one-night escapes suitable for the whole family, to hard-core mountain adventures that will test even the most experienced, competitive racers, the 34 trails of southern Africa's best multi-day trails and wilderness journeys featured in this book cover the full spectrum of mountain bike tours on offer in South Africa and neighbouring countries. A guide and support vehicle accompanies most of the tours, meaning that someone else takes care of the logistics and you are left free to enjoy the best that mountain biking offers. Whether you want to ride with big game, along empty beaches, through verdant forest or across barren deserts you'll find a trail to suit, and there are also some specialist trails that are aimed at birders, gourmands and culture-vultures. As the waiting lists for the stage races grow (and with them the entry fees) touring offers an alternative way to get your dirt fix – an active holiday with a group of friends or family. After riding the inaugural Tour de Wilderness mountain bike tour, photojournalist Fiona McIntosh tried her hand at stage racing, completing the ABSA Cape Epic in 2007. She's now a social rider who looks forward to a soft bed, good meal and some fine wine after a hard day in the saddle.

"The furthest I'd ever cycled in a day was thirty miles; a one off. And I had no experience of camping or cycle maintenance. But all I could envisage was some romantic notion about becoming a cycling nomad: travelling wherever my heart desired, camping in the great outdoors, visiting beautiful and historic places, and searching for a place to call home. The universe though had other ideas." An honest and detailed account by a first-time cycle tourist, riding from Lands' End to John O' Groats. Travel with Dawn as she describes the challenges of bicycle travel, bringing her journey to life from moments most magical, to most miserable: from deluge to heatwave, bustling cities to remote landscapes, friendly welcomes to threats of violence, Dawn experiences it all, transforming her from a woefully unprepared novice, attempting a one-off challenge, and into a life-long advocate of bicycle travel. For aspiring cycle tourists and armchair travellers alike, read a travelogue of a journey through Britain, told from the unique perspective of a young woman on a bicycle, who decides to go it alone.