Chased by Pandas

Author: Dan Martin
Publisher: Quercus
ISBN: 1529427614
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
'This is Dan Martin's long-awaited autobiography, full of 'the warmth, sharp insights and vivid colour of his 14-year career' Guardian Known, thanks to his racing style and attitude, for being one of road cycling's last romantics, Dan has always shied away from revealing too much about himself and his story. Now, having retired at the end of the 2021 season aged 35 and no longer bound by the constraints of the racing circuit, Dan feels the time is right to tell his story in the same forthright and honest manner that he rode his bike. This book reflects Dan's generous and outspoken spirit, his resilience to pain, crashes, bad luck and, finally, his acceptance of destiny. Each chapter's title has a sub-title based on a typical cyclist's fear: the fear of losing a race, the fear of retiring from the sport, the fear of mountains or downhills, the fear of doping and, ultimately, the fear of death. Dan also discusses every aspect of the professional cyclist's life - food, discipline, money, dreams, friendship and betrayal. Dan is unashamed when it comes to exposing these dark feelings, his weaknesses and how he tried to deal with them, his attitude exemplifying Mark Twain's quote: 'Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear'. Written with his long-time friend and best-selling author Pierre Carrey, this is the story of a rider who never sought to conform to modern cycling's norms and someone who, in many ways, embodies an age in cycling which has long since disappeared. This is the celebration of a true cyclist's career, which will appeal to anyone who's embraced the weekend ride whilst dreaming of the mountains. '[Chased by Pandas] is not a conventional study of wins, losses and conquering mountains but overcoming the mental challenges of a sport into which he was seemingly born' The Times 'Records the brave and tough journey of 'one of road cycling's last romantics' Irish Independent 'Chronicles the former Irish road champion's journey through the ranks of professional cycling' Cycling Weekly

Team 7-Eleven

Author: Geoff Drake
Publisher: VeloPress
ISBN: 1937716058
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 473

Book Description
In 1980, there were exactly four professional bike racers in America. Six years later, an American cycling team would wear the coveted yellow jersey of the Tour de France. And that same team would go on to win Italy's greatest race--the Giro d'Italia--only two years later. Team 7-Eleven is the extraordinary story of how two Olympic speed skaters, Jim Ochowicz and Eric Heiden, pulled together a small group of amateur cyclists and turned them into one of the greatest cycling teams the sport has known. From humble beginnings in a barn in Pennsylvania to soaring victories in the French Alps, Team 7-Eleven is the complete history that has never been fully told--until now. The 7-Eleven Cycling Team--Team 7-Eleven for short--launched the careers of American cycling superstars Andy Hampsten, Davis Phinney, Bob Roll, Ron Kiefel, and many more. It also changed the cycling world, creating a new team structure based on multiple stars, unified goals, and personal sacrifice for the greater good. And yet at the time it was formed, the number of American cyclists with world-class experience could be counted--literally--on one hand. And the number of American teams that competed in Europe's biggest races was exactly zero. Team 7-Eleven is the amazing story of how two cycling fans found one exceptional sponsor and created the greatest American cycling team of its era. Written with the enthusiastic cooperation of the team members, Team 7-Eleven will impress cycling fans with behind-the-scenes stories of the team's founding, its growing pains, and its lasting success as the team that established America as a powerhouse in the world of professional cycling.

God is Dead

Author: Andy McGrath
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473563372
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 301

Book Description
•SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022• •A SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE TIMES AND THE GUARDIAN• The remarkable untold story of the mercurial cycling prodigy Frank Vandenbroucke, written by William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath. They called him God. For his grace on a bicycle, for his divine talent, for his heavenly looks. Frank Vandenbroucke had it all, and in the late Nineties he raced with dazzling speed and lived even faster. The Belgian won several of cycling's most illustrious races, including Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Nice and Ghent-Wevelgem. He was a mix of poise and panache who enthralled a generation of cycling fans. Off the bike, he only had one enemy - himself. Vandenbroucke dabbled in nocturnal party sessions mixing sleeping pills and alcohol and regularly fell out with team managers. By 1999 his team had suspended him and this proved to be the start of a long, eventful fall from grace. Depression, a drug ban, addiction, car crashes, divorce and countless court appearances subsumed his life. He threatened his wife with a gun. He tried to commit suicide twice. And when police found performance-enhancing drugs at his house, Vandenbroucke said they were for his dog. It seemed he had finally learned from his mistakes. Then, on 12 October 2009, aged just 34, Vandenbroucke was found dead in a hotel room in Senegal. Guided by exclusive contributions from his family, friends and team-mates, William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath lays bare Vandenbroucke's chaotic, complicated life and times. God is Dead is the remarkable biography of this mercurial cycling prodigy.

The Secret Cyclist

Author: The Secret Cyclist
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473554543
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 183

Book Description
He's ridden for World Tour teams for ten years. He's achieved top ten finishes in Grand Tours. But who is The Secret Cyclist and why all the secrecy? "Every public aspect of our lives is so tightly controlled that being truly honest is all but impossible in a newspaper interview, never mind a whole book. You try write a warts-and-all blog about your office. Question how the business is run, make sure you remember to call your boss a moron, and then tell me how it goes." What do the riders really make of Team Sky? How does the pay structure work? Why should you never trust a kit endorsement from a professional? Is doping still an issue? The Secret Cyclist tackles the big questions head-on, revealing a side to cycling that fans have never seen before.

Jan Ullrich

Author: Daniel Friebe
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1509801561
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 634

Book Description
Jan Ullrich: The Best There Never Was is the first biography of Jan Ullrich, arguably the most naturally talented cyclist of his generation, and also one of the most controversial champions of the Tour de France. 'Magnificent' – Matt Dickinson, The Times 'A superlative biography as well as social and sporting history' – Observer In 1997, Jan Ullrich announced himself to the world by obliterating his rivals at the Tour de France and becoming Germany’s first ever winner. Everyone agreed: Jan Ullrich would dominate the future of cycling. But he never quite managed it. This is a gripping account of how unbearable expectation, mental and physical fragility, the effects of a complicated childhood, a morally corrupt sport and one individual – Lance Armstrong – can conspire to reroute destiny. Acclaimed journalist Daniel Friebe takes us from the legacy of East Germany’s drugs programme to the pinnacle of pro cycling and asks: what price are you willing to pay for immortality?

The Art of Cycling

Author: Cadel Evans
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 1460705513
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 347

Book Description
The bestselling autobiography of a cycling legend and winner of the 2011 Tour de France On the afternoon of Sunday, the first of February 2015, Cadel Evans crossed the finish line in the first-ever race of the event that would immortalise his name: the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. At that moment, an extraordinary cycling career, spanning 20 years and more than 750 professional races, came to a close. Now, looking back on his journey, Cadel Evans tells his story of the races and moments that mattered. Ranging from the dirt tracks of his early 1990s mountain-biking days to the Tour de France's famous podium in 2011 and beyond, The Art of Cycling is a tale of potential realised and ambition fulfilled. It's also the inspiring story of a young boy from the Australian bush, whose focus, talent and dedication conquered the elite world of international cycling in an era when few Australians competed, let alone won. Famous in the sport for his meticulous preparation and as an athlete who prided himself on his ability to give his all, Evans writes with forensic detail about the triumphs, the frustrations, the training, the preparation, the psychology of the sport, his contemporaries, the legends, the controversies and, above all, his enduring love of cycling.

We Were Young and Carefree

Author: Laurent Fignon
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1407075217
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
'Ah, I remember you: you're the guy who lost the Tour de France by eight seconds!' 'No monsieur, I'm the guy who won the Tour twice. The international bestselling autobiography of the legendary French cyclist Laurent Fignon Two-time winner of the Tour de France in the early eighties, Laurent Fignon became the star for a new generation. In the 1989 tour, he lost out to his American arch-rival, Greg LeMond, by an agonising eight seconds. In this revealing account, the former champion spares nobody, not even himself, and pulls back the curtain on what really went on behind the scenes of this epic sport - the friendships, the rivalries, the betrayals, the parties, the girls and, of course, the performance-enhancing drugs. Fignon's story bestrides a golden age in cycling: a time when the headlines spoke of heroes, not doping, and a time when cyclists were afraid of nothing. ‘Sports book of the year: He's ruthlessly honest, about himself and about cycling, and he provides a gripping insight into an unrelenting hard world’ Independent

The Full Cycle

Author: Vincent Denson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781874739524
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Book Description
The Full Cycle is a long overdue account of the splendid career of a 'Gentle Giant' of the road whose passion for cycling has never died; it is also a story of loyalty, courage and friendship.

The Cycling Mind

Author: Ruth Anderson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472948904
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
'A must-read book to make you faster on the bike' – Cycling Weekly The Cycling Mind gives you the essential tools to ride – and live life – at your personal best. Foreword by Joanna Rowsell Shand, double Olympic gold medallist and world champion cyclist. The top of the podium is reserved for those athletes who train their bodies and minds to perform at their very best. One of the most important yet overlooked areas to master is an athlete's psychological skills. The Cycling Mind is an expert guide to developing the elite mindset needed for peak performance – both on and off the bike. Written by leading sports psychologist Ruth Anderson, who has worked with globally renowned Olympic and World champion cyclists, this book will teach you everything about the psychology strategies used in elite competition. You'll discover the techniques top athletes use to excel: from race preparation to harnessing performance anxiety, and from how to recover from a win (as well as a loss!), to how to build an effective support team. The Cycling Mind gives you the essential tools to ride – and live life – at your personal best. Foreword by Joanna Rowsell Shand MBE, double Olympic gold medallist, winner of multiple world cycling championships and BBC commentator on major cycling competitions.

Shut Up, Legs!

Author: Jens Voigt
Publisher: Rodale
ISBN: 1623365201
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
Beloved German cyclist Jens Voigt isn't a superstar in the traditional sense of the word. Although he won three stages of the Tour De France--and wore the yellow jersey twice--Voigt never claimed an overall victory. He became a star because he embodies qualities that go beyond winning and losing: sacrifice, selflessness, reliability, and devotion. European and American crowds were drawn to his aggressive riding style, outgoing nature, and refreshing realness. Voigt adopted a tireless work ethic that he carried throughout his career. In Shut Up, Legs! (a legendary Jensism), Voigt reflects upon his childhood in East Germany, juggling life as a professional cyclist and a father of six, and how he remained competitive without doping. Shut Up, Legs! offers a rare glimpse inside his heart and mind.