Favourite reads

[GLB]

Anyone like to share any favourites?

I'm very fond of Harold Briercliffe's series of Cycling Touring Guides from late 1940's.
Full of wonderful ideas like "Conceal your machine and take the day to walk up Ben Nevis". Yeah right Harold.

Apparently, the good news, the BBC are doing a series this summer based around rides taken from the books with an accompanying book by Jane Eastoe. The bad news is the presenter is Clare Balding. Where's Julia Bradbury she's needed??

Kenneth Bowden's Cycle Racing from 1958 is good stuff too. I base all my training on it... Tough to find decent woolly shorts these days though.

The Guinness Guide to Bicycles by J Durry is great for a very French 1970's perspective. Includes sound advice on what to do with a short piece of broom handle.

Watson and Gray's Penguin Book of the Bicycle. 1978. Very good on social history and the first inklings of traffic planners taking any notice of bicycles.

Strange how poorly all these cover MTB's.

 

[pigman]

when I were a lad there were no softie MTBs. Tha rode thi racer ovver Cutgate or up on Wessenden and walked where t'snow were too deep.

Thinking back, they were fun days, more emphasis on having a laugh and less on fashion/technology/performance.

 

[mavesyn]

I've just finished the Vin Denson biog, which was a good read.
I'm now halfway through, In pursuit of stardom by Tony Hewson,
which may well be the best cycling book ever, fantastic story of budding
racer's travelling around europe, in a ex war dept ambulance, great stuff.

 

[monty dog]

Olympic Gangster by Matt Rendell is a biography of Jose Beyeart, 1948 Olympic Champion. Great stories about his run-in with one of Bartali's lieutenants at the Giro - he was a real tough cookie as evidenced by his antics in later life

 

[David B]

I've just finished the Vin Denson biog, which was a good read.
I'm now halfway through, In pursuit of stardom by Tony Hewson,
which may well be the best cycling book ever, fantastic story of budding
racer's travelling around europe, in a ex war dept ambulance, great stuff.

Bought a copy of Tony Hewson's book over the Christmas break (£7.50 2nd hand but it is signed by the author!), an excellent read. Must give the Vin Denson one a whirl some time.

David

 

[Steve Kish]

I briefly met Vin Denson after he retired. He owned a timber preservation company or summat simmo in a posh end of Essex. Seemed like a very nice down-to-earth sort of chap.

One book I read was given to me by a Detective Sergeant at Leman Street in about 1983 and was called 'For A Yellow Jersey' - nothing to do with the Claude Lelouch little gem of a film about the 1965 Tour.

This was fiction and told the story of an elderly racer who found himself in a break with about 6 Italian riders in a Tour. They gained about half an hour on the bunch but all the italians were disqualified, thus leaving him the Tour leader by about 30 minutes with just a few days to go. Wonderfully descriptive of how he struggled to keep some sort of a lead ... I won't reveal the end!

It was due to be made into a film with Dustin Hoffman playing the lead role but this never took off. I'd love to get hold of a copy, as the DS asked for it back when our client got a 'Not Guilty' verdict!!

 

[GLB]

Steve, I think it might have been this?? The plot line you describe is familiar and I've certainly read the Hurne book yonks ago.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Jersey-R ... 68&sr=8-23

 

[Old Ned]

Matt Rendell's book on Pantani is very good. Lifts the lid on the 90's (and before's) pro scene.

If you read it you'll possibly look at your heroes in a slightly different light.

I certainly agree about the Tony Hewson book being a good read.

I've also read Beryl Burton's and Barry Hoban's autobiographies, both good. I'm looking forward to reading Vin's once I can get hold of a copy.

 

[Old Ned]

Steve, I think it might have been this?? The plot line you describe is familiar and I've certainly read the Hurne book yonks ago.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Jersey-R ... 68&sr=8-23

What's his 'They'll Never Catch You Now' like? Have you read that as well?

 

[mavesyn]

I've read the Pantani book, i'll felt sorry for him, there must be a lot of pressure being a nation's hero.......
I've got Beryl Burton's book to read yet, i got about 6 cycling books at the weekend for my birthday. I give my family,a amazon wish list, that way i get all the right books for me. ( very lucky to have them) . My family, not the books.
And yes, Vin Denson comes across as a very nice guy in his book.