Cycling Memoirs

The Panther M120 was the last in a line of large, single-cylinder motorcycles built by the Phelon and Moore Company in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire. As a teenager, Nick had two Panthers. His first big motorbikes. Although he enjoyed them at the time, he did not treat them well—a source of regret for over 50 years. His affection for those old, single-cylinder sloggers never left, and when the opportunity arose to acquire one later in life, he jumped at it.

By his 18th birthday David Millar was living and racing in France, sleeping in rented rooms, tipped to be the next English-speaking Tour winner. A year later he'd realised the dream and signed a professional contract. He perhaps lived the high life a little too enthusiastically - he broke his heel in a fall from a roof after too much drink and before long the pressure to succeed had tipped over into doping.

The year when everything needed to be experienced and tried, when innocence was tempted, played, and lost. 1969 was that pivotal year for the baby boomers. Young and innocent, they were given the ultimate freedoms and were faced with growing up. This touching, hilarious memoir is the true story of a late sixties grand tour of Europe a life-defining parable, for those who remember and for those who can’t.

SPIKE IN SPAIN is the light-hearted story of a peculiar Lancastrian’s relocation to a small town at the foot of the Alicante mountains. An obsessive cyclist and the bane of his long-suffering wife’s life, Spike finds himself booted out of the family home and consigned to a grotty terraced house in Colne. Believing, incorrectly, that an old clubmate has invited him to stay at his Spanish retreat, a spell of lateral thinking by the cycling club president, Pete, leads to Spike’s flight to his old pal Mike’s house instead. As the charitable Mike has already rescued three donkeys and a ...

Rachel is a cyclist. But she was never meant to be. After gaining mental strength and healing through running, she thought she was free. Her depression alleviated, she came off antidepressants, winning races and collecting medals at marathons. But when an injury stopped the only thing helping to quiet the voices in her brain, Rachel found out what she is truly made of. As body dysmorphia began to grip her in earnest, she knew she had to find a different way to kick her mental health demons for the sake of her sanity.

An epic motorcycle ride through 15 countries took Jack Monig across as many internal as political borders. Hurled headfirst into a career block, she decided at middle age to go full throttle on an adventure of self-discovery while circumnavigating the globe in four months. This book shares the wisdom you can only get by crossing 37,350 kilometers by bike as the only woman in a group of male riders.

Tech executive, business consultant, and recording artist Sabe Anderson delivers a no-holds-barred account of his spiral into hell, and how he clawed his way out again with the support of family and the women who refused to give up on him. His story dives into bipolar disorder, sexual abuse, and addiction and the financial, mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional hardships that came in their wake.

Grand Prize Winner - USA Regional Excellence Book Awards Book of the Year, Humor - Foreword Awards Winner - Sports, USA Regional Excellence Book Awards Bronze - Paris Book Festival Finalist - Book of the Year, Travel- Foreword Magazine The rollicking, true story of two men rekindling an old friendship after twenty years. Foolishly, they choose to reconnect over a hometown tradition that just happens to be the world’s biggest bike ride: RAGBRAI. 500 miles of biking during the hottest week of the year - humidity 100%, bugs 1000% - seemed like the ideal way to "get to know you" again. Their ...

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.

AMAZED BY SPAIN is a light-hearted account of two couples’ unexpected relocation to inland Alicante. Before sisters Sue and Linda inherit a village house in the hills they have little interest in Spain, but on travelling out to see their new possession they begin to warm to the idea of spending time there with their husbands Paul and Bill. After an enjoyable summer holiday the prospect of living in the village becomes irresistible and this book describes their transition from visitors to residents and the diverse selection of people they meet along the way. This amusing and informative ...

LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALEC is a light-hearted account of the growing friendship between two neighbours in Lancashire. When fifty-something accountant Adrian Lane moves into an end cottage on the outskirts of Burnley, he’s hoping to live quietly and continue to rebuild his life after separating from his wife. He didn’t bargain for a neighbour like Alec, a widower and retired plumber whose behaviour is decidedly odd. After a rather disturbing initial meeting they gradually become friends and Adrian finds himself being drawn way out of his comfort zone by the older man, whose philosophy is ...

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.

Pedaling hard for thirteen months, eco adventurer Kate Rawles cycled the length of the Andes on an eccentric bicycle she built herself. The Life Cycle charts her mission to find out why biodiversity is so important, what's happening to it, and what can be done to protect it. From the Pacific Ocean to rainforests and salt flats, Kate learns that armadillos can cross rivers by holding their breath, that Colombia has more species of birds than North America and Europe combined, and that in threatening species and ecosystems, we're tearing down our own life support system.

J. Ivy is a true pioneer and trendsetter who's bridged the worlds of hip-hop and poetry through his appearances on HBO's Def Poetry and his collaborations with Kanye West and Jay-Z. But throughout his success, he carried with him the pain of being abandoned by his father and growing up in the tough neighborhoods of Chicago's South Side. So he sat down with pen and paper and processed his pain the only way he knew how - through poetry. he resulting poem, Dear Father, became his vehicle of forgiveness and healing.

In this powerful and personal memoir, Annelise Duval shares her journey of survival, courage, and healing after escaping the devastating grip of domestic violence. Through raw, honest storytelling, Annelise provides insight into the emotional, physical, and psychological toll of abuse, while offering a message of hope for those still trapped in the cycle.

In 1887 a 21-year-old newspaperman named George Nellis (1865-1948) rode a bicycle from Herkimer, New York, to San Francisco in 72 days, surpassing the transcontinental bicycle record by several weeks. He averaged 50 miles a day pedaling a 52-inch, high-wheeled Columbia Expert "ordinary" bicycle with a tubular steel frame and hard rubber tires, and he lost 23 pounds in the process.

A retired NFL player shares his story of achieving maximum success as a professional athlete, followed by notoriety in corporate America, then catastrophic failures that cost him everything he owned in just 90 days. But even in the face of crushing defeat, he identified and put into action the traits required to rise from the ashes and find success again. Now this inspiring, candidly written, and time-tested method of success is available to you!

In November 2015 Sarah Outen completed her five-year, 25,000 mile journey looping the planet by cycling across Europe, Asia and North America and canoeing and kayaking across the North Pacific and most of the North Atlantic.

At 31, Tricia Downing was in the best shape of her life. In the summer of 2000, Tricia, an avid cyclist, drove across the country for what amounted to 18 races in 23 days. She returned from her adventure to a fresh start: a new job awaited her, and determined to make the next summer the year she would make her mark on the world of cycling, she began a rigorous training strategy. But on September 17, 2000, Tricia Downing's life took a detour. While training on her bicycle, Tricia collided with a car that turned directly in her path, and instantly became paralyzed from the chest down.

A fly-on-the-wall account of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal – the greatest drama in modern sporting history by the New York Times cycling correspondent. As Lance Armstrong’s precipitous fall from grace continues, New York Times sports reporter Juliet Macur takes the reader behind the scenes to bring you the astonishing twists and turns of an outrage that has rocked the world of cycling.