Anybody who loves cycling is bound to have a collection of favourite books about it. A lot get written about racing, but often the newest are not the best (though of course it's interesting to get the latest on Wiggo, Vicky P and Cav). Anyway here are some of the ones I particularly enjoy and admire.
The Rider
by Tim Krabbé
Published in the Netherlands in 1978, this is the great literary account of an imaginary single 150 km amateur race from the point of view of the writer/rider. It’s written in a breakneck style that matches the tempo of the event – almost hallucinatory – and unforgettable. A timeless classic whether you ride or not.
One More Kilometre and We're In The Showers
by Tim Hilton
Tim Hilton has been an art critic on the Guardian and the Independent on Sunday and has written art history books on the Pre-Raphaelites and Picasso. He had an unusual and interesting upbringing and writes beautifully. This is a sympathetic account of the development of cycling viewed through a blend of personal anecdote and serious social history. A sweet book and one of my favourites.
The Escape Artist
by Matt Seaton
Another favourite – maybe the best. Wry, frank and elegiac, this is a celebration of an amateur sport and the simple beauty of cycling from a very British point of view. It's also about the passage from youth to adulthood, and about what it means to give up something fiercely loved in return for a kind of wisdom and responsibility. With its rituals, its code of honour and its comradeship, cycling became a passion for Matt Seaton. But then marriage, children and his wife's illness forced a reckoning with real life. Now though, years later, I know he’s racing again...
Racing Through the Dark
by David Millar, Jeremy Whittle
I only read this quite recently, but if you only read one book about what used to happen inside professional cycling this ought to be it. Millar was banned for two years in 2004 after admitting taking performance-enhancing drugs while riding for the French Cofidis team. This is a revealing and apparently honest account of his rise, fall and redemption as a Garmin rider and a member of the British Olympic team.
Rough Ride
by Paul Kimmage
This is one of the earliest books to lift the lid on institutionalised doping in professional road racing. Kimmage's boyhood dreams were of cycling glory in the footsteps of other great Irish riders like Kelley and Yates. However, he discovered racing was not about glory and courage, nor about training or dedication. It was about gruelling defeats, complete and utter exhaustion, and drugs – not to win, but merely to survive. Kimmage left the sport and was ostracised and victimised for it by some of the biggest names in the sport. The book leaves a sour taste, but you can understand his bitterness.
Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France
by Richard Moore
A show-stopping rivalry gripped spectators across the world during the 1986 TdF. Greg LeMond became the first non-European to win the yellow jersey, but only after a titanic physical and mental struggle with five-time winner and crowd favourite Bernard 'Le Blaireau' Hinault. 'The Badger' had promised to support LeMond in exchange for supporting his own 1985 win. But could Hinault be trusted? Even now, there is no clear answer – but LeMond remains the only American Tour winner, with three titles.
How I Won the Yellow Jumper
by Ned Boulting
A funny and occasionally excruciating account of Boulting’s experiences covering the world’s most famous two-wheeled race, from a complete beginner to incurable fanatic. You will pick up a lot of useful background detail as he stumbles through the complexities and arcane practices of the peleton and its organisers – not to mention the Press corps.
Tomorrow, We Ride
Jean Bobet
Jean Bobet's brother, Louison, won the Tour de France three times, and Jean rode the race – and many others – with him. This book is a beautifully-written memoir of a life in cycling and it is, quite simply, among the best books ever written about it.
Tour Climbs: The complete guide to every mountain stage on the Tour De France
by Chris Sidwells
What it says on the tin: a well-presented, informative, illustrated guide to all the great climbs. I bought it a few days before the Fireflies Tour began and I wasn’t disappointed (though I was a bit horrified).
It's All About the Bike
by Robert Penn
This is a good book to buy if you dream of assembling your own perfect bike. Robert Penn decided to build that impossible machine – the ‘best’ bike in the world, for him. En route he explores the culture, science, and history of the bicycle, from artisanal frame shops in the UK to California, via Portland, Milan, and points in between, his trek follows the serpentine path of a love affair with cycling.
Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi
by William Fotheringham
Perhaps the greatest cyclist of the post-war years, Coppi’s scandalous divorce and controversial death convulsed Italy in the 1950s. Fallen Angel tells the tragic story of the man who became Italy’s symbol of rebirth after the disasters of war, yet died reviled and heartbroken. Fotheringham is a great cycling writer and this is among his best books.
Bike!: A Tribute to the World's Greatest Cycling Designers
by Richard Moore, Daniel Benson
A lovely book (thanks, Sam) providing an in-depth history of the 49 greatest designers who have shaped the world of cycling, from the earliest days up to the present. A well thought out and beautifully illustrated story of the visionaries and riders who joined forces to create two-wheeled legends.
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