Cycling Memoirs

Bellissimo in volo come l'Airone, e come l'Airone inadatto alla terra. Di qui il dramma di Fausto Coppi, la sua scissione, l'essere stato predisposto da una bizzarra natura a vivere una vita da ciclista e non da uomo, con le sue debolezze e le sue passioni. Così, quando fu travolto dalla passione come un uomo qualsiasi, quando incontrò la sfolgorante Giulia, i suoi tifosi e il mondo intero non gli perdonarono quel momento di debolezza.

When he was overtaken by a jogger on a borrowed mountain bike, Jo knew it was time for drastic action. Welcome to the world of a man in his 60s and his new e-bike. His first injury occurred within one foot! Setting off for his first practice ride round a car park, he misjudged the width of the handlebars and scraped his hand on the cycle shop's stone wall. You'll go places you'll never have dreamed of, said the shop owner. Prophetic words indeed. Eighteen hours later Jo was embedded in his neighbour's hedge due to a clothing malfunction.

Milano-Sanremo, Giro d'Italia - indossando la maglia rosa dalla prima all'ultima tappa - Coppa del Mondo, due Mondiali consecutivi, due Alpe d'Huez, due podi al Tour de France, un Giro delle Fiandre. Erano i primi anni Novanta e Gianni Bugno faceva sognare una Nazione intera. A trent'anni dai suoi più grandi successi, Bugno si racconta nella sua prima autobiografia. Lo fa con quello stile, umile e signorile, che lo ha sempre caratterizzato. Una persona di poche parole, divenuta suo malgrado mito.

To achieve an Olympic gold is impressive; to be part of a couple doing this in the same sport is rare; to do it 10 times between you is unprecedented. Britain's most successful female and male Olympians give us the inside track on becoming a champion. Hear their take on how they became the best in the world while finding in each other the perfect partner.

In 2001, when the bible of the sport, Cycling Weekly, ran a poll to decide the greatest British cyclist, Chris Boardman's was the name that topped the list. It was Boardman's lone achievements in the '80s and '90s - Olympic track gold, the world hour record, repeatedly claiming the yellow jersey in the Tour de France - that lit the spark for modern British cycling. His endeavours both on and off the bike have made him the founding father of current golden generation - without him there would simply be no Hoy, Wiggins or Cavendish.

Mark Cavendish is the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France's green jersey, the first to wear the iconic rainbow jersey in almost 50 years and our only ever rider to capture the Giro d'Italia points title. He is the most prolific sprinter in the Tour's history, and - according to L'Equipe - the best sprinter of all time. But smashing records and racking up victories means whole new levels of fame: and this has come at a price. Living in the goldfish bowl, he has come under fire for his bombastic riding style and been portrayed as everything from an outlaw to a psychopath.

An intense and inspiring story of sporting triumph, from World, Commonwealth and National racing champion and Olympic silver medalist Lizzie Armitstead. On the eve of the 2016 Olympic Games, the biggest moment of her life, Lizzie Armitstead's career was throw n into turmoil. After being cleared to ride the Games at the final hour following a successful court appeal to overturn an alleged missed drugs test, the ensuing leak and backlash threatened to engulf her.

Absprachen, Lügen und kuriose Methoden: so kam es zu den Skandalen im Rennradsport. Blutdoping, verbotene Leistungssteigerungen und geheime Abmachungen für den Sieg des Team-Favoriten - ab den 1990er-Jahren taumelte der Radsport und mit ihm die Tour de France von einem Skandal zum nächsten. Vom Glanz des gelben Trikots blieb in jenen Tagen nicht mehr viel. Wie organisiert lief das Doping in der TdF ab, wer war beteiligt und wie konnten berühmte Dopingfälle so lange unbemerkt bleiben?

Damiano Cunego, vincitore del Giro d'Italia 2004, si racconta nella sua prima autobiografia. Dal ricordo di un'infanzia felice passata sui monti veronesi - tra auto veloci, hockey su ghiaccio e corsa campestre - allo sbarco nel ciclismo che conta. Aneddoti, curiosità e foto dell'ex enfant prodige che avrebbe dovuto raccogliere l'eredità del più grande, Marco Pantani. Soprannominato Il Piccolo Principe, per il suo animo gentile e puro, Cunego ha avuto la sola colpa di voler correre onestamente.

When Geoff Thomas struggled to play a friendly game of tennis while on holiday in Mallorca in May 2003, he thought little of it. Recently retired as a footballer, he believed it was a sign of ageing and perhaps a pulled muscle. But when the pain wouldn't go away, his wife Julie persuaded him to go to a doctor. He was diagnosed as having leukaemia. Riding Through the Storm focuses on his journey round the Tour de France in the summer of 2005.

With The World Up Close, bicyclist Kameel Nasr has created a fascinating and personal introduction to the world's people, sharing diverse episodes from his 40,000-mile bicycle journey through 70 countries. Nasr offers his readers a vicarious view across the handlebars as he tackles the Appalachians, the Anders, the Himalayas...crosses Sinai in the summer...shares the ever-present fears of Central Americans...explores Morocco's Hashish Trail.

Recounting the pivotal moments that helped launch Ruth Zukerman as the breakout star of the boutique fitness world, Riding High is a reminder that the greatest success stories often start in the unlikeliest of places.

Il "Cannibale" Eddie Merckx, il più forte di tutti, e il "Pirata" Marco Pantani, un magnifico testardo che ci ha lasciato troppo presto. Beppe Saronni e la perfetta strategia della fucilata di Goodwood, Claudio Chiappucci e l'impresa tutta istinto del Sestrière. L'indisciplinato Peter Sagan e Laurent Fignon, il "Professore". E poi l'irrequietezza dell'enigmatico Gianni Bugno, l'impetuosa forza tranquilla di Miguel Indurain, il fascino di Fabian Cancellara e la spavalderia di Lance Armstrong, al centro dello scandalo più grande della storia del ciclismo.

The plan is simple. George and Ben have three weeks to cycle 1000 miles from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland. There's just one small problem - they have no bikes, no clothes, no food, and no money. Setting off in just a pair of Union Jack boxer shorts, they attempt to rely on the generosity of the British public for everything from food to accommodation, clothes to shoes, and bikes to beer.

Marty Nothstein, one of the greatest cyclists of all time, arrived at the 1996 Olympic Games a heavy favorite. In the match sprint at the Atlanta Olympics, an event akin to prizefighting on a bicycle, he raced around a banked, oval track. Nothstein lost by a hair's width on the finish line and vowed to win the gold at the next Olympics, saying, "I didn't come here for a silver medal."

So rapid has this national transformation been that it has taken place within the lifetimes of these remarkable young sportsmen. Colombia Es Pasión! How a New Generation of Cyclists Changed a Nation explores the lives and dreams of each of Colombia's leading cyclists. Theirs are inspiring stories of overcoming poverty and violence, sickness and corruption - of the emergence of the indigenous to global sporting glory.

Jools Walker rediscovered cycling aged 28 after a decade-long absence from the saddle. When she started blogging about her cycle adventures under the alias Lady Vélo, a whole world was opened up to her. But it's hard to find space in an industry not traditionally open to women - especially women of colour. Shortly after getting back on two wheels, Jools was diagnosed with depression and then, in her early 30s, hit by a mini-stroke. Yet, through all of these punctures, one constant remained: Jools' love of cycling.

Sharp, resourceful and a permanent outsider; for nearly 20 years Steve Cummings determinedly blazed his own winning trail in international cycling. A maverick who defied the dominant teams, to record a sequence of gloriously improbable victories, he has lived and raced with legends of the sport—Cavendish, Wiggins, Froome, Thomas and others—about whom he has strong views and untold stories.

In Icons, Wiggins takes the listener on an extraordinarily intimate journey through the sport, presenting key pieces from his never-before-seen collection of memorabilia. Over the course of his illustrious career, he amassed hundreds of items - often gifts from its greatest and most controversial figures. Each reflects an icon, a race or a moment that fundamentally influenced Wiggins on both a personal and professional level.

Until 1894 there were no female sport stars, no product endorsement deals, and no young mothers with the chutzpah to circle the globe on a bicycle. Annie Kopchovsky changed all of that.