1 | the rider
tim krabbé (1978; English translation 2002)
This fictional account of a professional cycling career by the Dutch journalist, author and former cyclist is a cult classic. finely written and full of rhetorical flourishes, it captures the peculiar dynamics of the peloton beautifully, from a racer’s point of view. At just 150 pages, it’s a book you simply have to stop reading in order to savor it. it’s also a meditation on pain, for armchair enthusiasts who don’t like it very much. For fans of bicycle racing, it’s essential reading.
You are reading: Best cycling books 2016
2 | at full speed: from ireland to india by bicycle
dervla murphy (1965)
a classic of bicycle touring, the best adventure story and a wake-up call to “travel for travel’s sake”. i read it in the late 1990s, working in london: six months later i bought a custom made steel bike, abandoned my career and started pedaling around the world. Reading it, I realized that it doesn’t take a great deal of knowledge and experience to embark on a journey like this. if you have a knack for getting along with people, then you’re good to go now. Murphy’s writing is uplifting, like riding at sunrise on a summer’s day.
3 | richard’s bicycle book
richard ballantine (1972; out of print)
part manual, part manifesto, full of humor, common sense and practical advice, this instantly became a bible for the new wave of people who took to two wheels during the oil crisis in the early 70’s. For the next two decades, it was the only mass-market cycling book: it has been reprinted numerous times, selling over a million copies through various iterations. the manual part of the book is irrelevant now, because the bike has changed so much. however, the manifesto portion remains fresh: the author’s passion for the machine and his assertion that cyclists own the road as much as motorists remain as relevant as ever.
4 | bike: the story
david vs herlihy (2004)
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For much of the 20th century, the history of the bicycle was clouded by the ownership claims and myths of competing industrial nations: Germany, France, England, Italy, the United States, and even Scotland claimed to have invented the machine. . herlihy brings academic rigor and clarity to the development of the steel horse. is a fantastical story of ingenuity, eccentric inventors, technological impasses, lost fortunes, and luck, culminating in the first modern bicycle. the prose can be a bit dry but the illustrations are excellent.
5 | the escape artist: life from the saddle
matt seaton (2002)
an autobiographical story of one man’s obsession with amateur bicycle racing: tuning the machine, shaving his legs, the physical and emotional companionship of riding with friends, the morning workouts, peloton etiquette, and the suffering they’re all here. so far, so familiar. The real suffering, however, emerges in the second intertwined story: the death of Seaton’s wife, journalist Ruth Picardie, of breast cancer at age 33, two years after the birth of her twins. seaton somehow avoids being cloying. is a heartbreaking and elegantly written story of growing up.
6 | put me back on my bike: in search of tom simpson
william fotheringham (2002)
The Guardian writer Fotheringham has written several good biographies of racing cyclists, but this one stands out, mostly because Tom Simpson was such a fickle character. A lionhearted anti-hero, Simpson collapsed and died on Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France in 1967, with amphetamines and cognac in his blood. he was an olympic medalist, a world champion, an obsessive professional and the first british to wear the yellow jersey in the tour de france. thus, he helped turn an insular European race into a global phenomenon. fotheringham sympathetically unravels the most enigmatic figure British cycling has produced.
7 | cycling
viscount bury and g lacy hillier (1887; out of print)
In elegant prose, this book records the bicycle at the cusp of the first golden age. there are chapters on clothing (“cashmere neckerchiefs are preferred… for night riding in winter”), clubbing, touring, and “ladies’ trike.” at the time of publication, cycling was still largely the exclusive pastime of wealthy, athletic men; by 1895, the bicycle was the most popular means of transportation on the planet. the simple machine had changed society in countless ways forever.
8 | the third cop
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flann o’brien (pub posthumously, 1967)
a satirical and absurdist murder mystery of an overlooked giant of 20th century Irish literature. At the heart of this offbeat story is the story of unrequited love between a man and a bicycle. if that’s not weird enough, sergeant pluck’s “atomic theory” – that prolonged contact with a bicycle seat can result in “molecular exchange” – leads him to conclude: “you’d be surprised how many people in these places that are almost half people and half bicycle.”
9 | french revolutions
tim moore (2001)
It’s a simple premise – riding the Tour de France route before the annual race takes place – but it’s hard to pull off. Fortunately, Moore is explosively funny and an excellent storyteller. Since Moore was a novice cyclist, there is a lot of material on boils, the application of Savlon, and the ideal daily alcohol intake for optimal performance. yet amidst the hilarity, he weaves in some of the most infamous and bizarre moments in tour history, making it a light-hearted introduction to the greatest bike race of them all.
10 | a tough ride
paul kimmage (1990)
there are several good books, by matt renell, david millar and david walsh, that investigate drugs in professional cycling, but the visceral controversy of kimmage was the first to reveal that doping was much more widespread than is believed. affirmed. I read it fascinated. Of course, far worse would befall the sport and the organization that governs it in the years to come, but Kimmage, a former Irish cyclist turned journalist, bravely broke the law of omerta in the peloton: he spoke about the dark heart of racing. European cyclists for the first time.
rob penn is the author of the man who made things with trees and it’s all about the bicycle
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