1 | The Breakaway by Nicole Cooke (2014)
Suggested by Thinkingallthetime
The Breakaway covers Nicole Cooke’s journey from her early years to becoming the first rider to be world and Olympic road race champion in the same year. In this outspoken autobiography Cooke discusses her time riding through a dark period for the sport, with drug taking rife, and discusses broken contracts, unpaid wages and horrendous injuries. User Thinkingallthetime commends Cooke for addressing the “institutionalised sexism” she encountered.
2 | Cycle of Violence by Colin Bateman (1995)
Suggested by valdez
This novel tells the story of a journalist named Miller, his drinking problem, and his appointment to a newspaper in the hostile town of Crossmaheart after offending his previous boss. Miller steps in for Jamie Milburn, his predecessor who has mysteriously gone missing, both at the newspaper and by “comforting” Milburn’s girlfriend. Miller’s bike, aptly named the “Cycle of Violence”, carries him on his journey to unravel the troubling secrets hidden within Crossmaheart’s community. User valdez describes it as “one of [the] funniest books I have ever read”.
3 | The Flying Scotsman: The Graeme Obree Story by Graeme Obree (2003)
Suggested by Dormant4 and nicfanciulli
Scottish racing cyclist Graeme Obree’s book covers his world-record-breaking hour-long velodrome rides of 1993 and 1994, his championship wins and his personal battle with mental health with courage and honesty. User Dormant4 describes it as an “eye-opening account of a fight with depression, with a bit of cycling thrown in”. The book discusses Obree’s unique riding style and innovative engineering and design techniques – he used parts from a washing machine to build his bike. Obree is commended for his “phenomenal” achievement and for providing an “honest account of his battle with mental health” by user nicfanciulli.
4 | Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure by Barbara Savage (1983)
Suggested by Giffard Sercombe
A classic tale of adventure, user Giffard Sercombe believes that this story of Barbara and Larry Savage’s challenging, rewarding 23,000 mile-trip “should be top of this list”. The trip took the young couple through 25 countries in two years, facing many difficulties, including hostile drivers, as well asrtg kind-hearted strangers offering food and shelter along the way.
5 | Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne (2009)
Suggested by jpaffett
As former Talking Head David Byrne pedals around cities, he provides an insight into urban life from the view of his bike seat. Byrne uses cycling to observe the multifaceted nature of large cities such as London, New York, Buenos Aires and more over the past 30 years, using it as a way to examine music, globalisation, art and politics. However, the book was not to everyone’s taste – in the words of user tri2002, “Worst one: David Byrne’s Bicycle Diaries”.
6 | Round the World on a Wheel by John Foster Fraser (1899)
Suggested by Droff
This book provides an insight into the colonial world at the turn of the century through a three-man cycling tour. The first-hand account follows Fraser and two companions as they cycle round the world, covering 19,237 miles in two years and two months, travelling through 17 countries and across three continents. The vast scale of the trip meant the three individuals faced various challenges in terms of illness, diet and threats from individuals they encountered along the way. User Droff describes the account as “a tale of bonkers heroism with some fascinating history thrown in”.
7 | One More Kilometre and We’re in the Showers by Tim Hilton (2004)
Suggested by Ikkommetdefiets
One More Kilometre examines the development of cycling’s popularity from the 1950s, the decade often regarded as the golden age of cycling. User Ikkommetdefiets commends its “history of the road game”, both on a domestic and continental level. Tim Hilton covers the rise and fall of the Tour de France, as well as those who travel by bike on a day-to-day basis. Written from the perspective of a 56-year-old racing cyclist who never cycles less than 10,000 miles a year, this book is a blend of a personal anecdote and history both serious and gentle.
8 | Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi by William Fotheringham (2009)
Suggested by Elisabeth “Beth” Anderson
Fausto Angelo Coppi was the first man to win cycling’s great double, the Tour de France and Tour of Italy in the same year – and he did it twice. Rather than concentrate on the successes of Italy’s greatest cycling hero, acclaimed cycling biographer William Fotheringham tells the story of Coppi’s personal life. His scandalous divorce, publicised in a time when adultery was still illegal, led to a legal battle that Fotheringham covers intelligently and with great insight. The book portrays Italy and Italian sport at a time of tumultuous change – emerging from the second world war into high levels of poverty, Italians were reliant on bikes and Coppi was a motivational figurehead.
9 | Roads Were Not Built for Cars by Carlton Reid (2015)
Suggested by Monchberter
Carlton Reid revealed the largely unrecognised role cyclists have played in the development of modern roadways by self-publishing and self-funding his book through Kickstarter. User Monchberter describes it as an “accessible (though nerdy) historical riposte to 100 years of pro-driving propaganda”. By introducing readers to popular personalities such as Henry Ford, who supported cyclists on roads, Reid presents cyclists’ influence in early road improvements. Reid also touches on the elephant in the room: the big metal machine on the road.
10 | Legends of the Tour by Jan Cleijne (2014)
Suggested by Martinjones
This graphic novel captures the essence of the Tour de France – the hundreds of thousands of kilometres covered in pursuit of the yellow jersey and the dramas that come with it. Cleijne reflects the time and mood of the races in each chapter, writing about names such as Jacques Anquetil, Lance Amstrong and Eddy Merckx. The artwork reflects changes from the black-and-white days right up to the modern era, with Bradley Wiggins’s and Chris Froome’s victories in 2012 and 2013. User Martinjones praises the book for being “so good that my mate Dean has never returned it”.
