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The Medal Factory
55 Olympic medals. 6 Tour de France victories. Countless world records and world championship victories. Since the year 2000, British Cycling, Team Sky and INEOS have dominated the sport of cycling to an unprecedented degree. But at what cost? Did Sir David Brailsford, Peter Keen and the other brains behind British Cycling's massive and sudden dominance in the modern era find a winning "Moneyball" formula? Or did their success come down to luck and personal chemistry? Did this organisation, founded on relentless, ruthless efficiency contain contradictions which threatened to overwhelm it, amid accusations of drug-taking, bullying and sexism? The Medal Factory tells the full story from amateurish beginnings through a sports-science revolution to an all-conquering, yet flawed, machine. Through interviews with Brailsford and Keen, Shane Sutton, Fran Millar, Chris Boardman, Sir Chris Hoy and many other key players, Kenny Pryde interrogates the parts of the story - lottery funding, marginal gains - that we think we know, and reveals others that have remained hidden, until now.
The Medal Factory
In the early 1990s British cycling was an irrelevance on the world stage on both road and track. Yet by the Beijing Olympics in 2008 it had turned itself into the most feared track squad in the sport. Four years later, in 2012, British Cycling and British riders would dominate the sport on both road and the London Olympic velodrome, thanks to the efforts to Team GB, Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky. It was an unprecedented turnaround, driven by bold, visionary leadership from Peter Keen, Dave Brailsford, Shane Sutton, Chris Boardman, Steve Peters and a supporting cast of coaches and riders. But how was this astonishing transformation achieved? Was it a combination of good luck and Lottery funding? A happy meeting of minds? And, as the Olympic and World championship medals were piled on top of Tour de France yellow jerseys, the questions started to pile up too. Was the regime at British Cycling a healthy one? Did staff and riders at Team Sky bend the rules to the point of breaking them? Were allegations of bullying, sexism and drug use well-founded?
Ventoux
‘They’re all scared. Everybody’s afraid’ – Eddy Merckx ‘Nothing compares to the Ventoux’ – Lance Armstrong 'Heart-stirring and jaw-dropping in equal measure' – Tim Moore 'A really excellent book' – Richard Williams The French call Ventoux ‘the killer mountain’ and in 1967 it claimed its most famous victim, as former world champion Tom Simpson died near the summit during that year’s Tour de France. The terrible ascent of Ventoux’s south side encapsulates both the brutality and beauty of this cruel sport, but also highlights cycling’s ongoing battle to distance itself from its demons. Yet it was the legendary and extreme climb of Mont Ventoux that first inspired a...
The Monuments
'Peter Cossins is an engaging writer whose conversational style makes this an effortless yet interesting read. The cosy tone delivers a great deal with a good balance of history and anecdotes. If you wish to explore cycling beyond the Grand Tours this is the book.' - Carlton Kirby An awe-inspiring history of the five most legendary 'classic' races in world cycling. The Tour de France may provide the most obvious fame and glory, but it is cycling's one-day tests that the professional riders really prize. Toughest, longest and dirtiest of all are the so-called 'Monuments', the five legendary races that are the sport's equivalent of golf's majors or the grand slams in tennis. Milan–Sanremo, t...
The Cycling Anthology
Professional cycling is a rich, dynamic and often controversial sport that lends itself to great writing. Some of the most famous and illustrious races were founded by newspapermen and The Cycling Anthology continues this tradition by bringing together the best in the business. Volume Three features original and exclusive pieces by leading cycling writers. Ned Boulting goes behind the scenes at the 2013 Tour de France to get to know the second British winner in two years, Chris Froome; Richard Moore tells the story of Marianne Martin, winner of the first women's Tour de France; Lionel Birnie recounts the story of the Tour of Britian through the prism of the 2013 edition; Jeremy Whittle assess how the aftermath of Lance Armstrong's sensational confession affected Team Sky; and many more. Between them, they’ve covered hundreds of Tours de France and written dozens of excellent books and some have even ridden the Tour. Here, their work is showcased together.
Racing Through the Dark
WORLD-CLASS CYCLIST, Tour de France stage winner, and time trial specialist David Millar offers a vivid portrait of his life in professional cycling—including his soul-searing detour into performance-enhancing drugs, his dramatic arrest and two-year ban, and his ultimate decision to return to the sport he loves to race clean—in this arrestingly candid memoir, which he wrote himself. As a young Scottish expat living in Hong Kong with his father after his parents’ divorce, Millar showed early promise with mountain biking and BMX. Two wise local cyclists took him under their wings, encouraging him to concentrate on road racing. Millar proved a ready convert. Racing Through the Dark offers...
Bad Blood
Even the biggest cycling fan can one day wake up to find that he has lost his faith Bad Blood is the story of Jeremy Whittle's journey from unquestioning fan to Tour de France insider and confirmed sceptic. It's about broken friendships and a sport divided; about having to choose sides in the war against doping; about how galloping greed and corporate opportunism have led the Tour de France to the brink of destruction. Part personal memoir, part devastating exposé of a sport torn apart by drugs and scandal, Bad Blood is a love letter to one man's past, and a warning to cycling's future. ‘Whatever you think about doping, you must read this book ... Well-balanced, considered, compelling’ Rouleur Shortlisted for the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year
Scottish Sporting Legends
Scotland may not have won a World Cup (yet!), but many of the country’s sportsmen and women are revered as global legends, including Olympic and US Open champion Andy Murray and winner of six Olympic gold medals, Sir Chris Hoy. In football, the likes of Denis Law, ‘Slim’ Jim Baxter and Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone would not have looked out of place in the canary yellow of Brazil, while managers Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein have become part of football folklore, as has Sir Alex Ferguson in more recent times. Amazingly, Scots have reached the top in just about every major sport: Jim Clark and Sir Jackie Stewart in Formula One; Andy Murray in tennis; Ken Buchanan and Benny Lynch in the boxing ring; Chris Hoy in cycling; sprinters Allan Wells and Eric Liddell on the Olympic track; and, as befits a nation renowned as ‘the home of golf’, Sandy Lyle was recognised as the greatest player on the planet upon winning the Masters in 1988. Scottish sport is the richest of tapestries and in Scottish Sporting Legends the cream of the crop are entertainingly profiled in a revealing collection of pen portraits of stars past and present.
At Speed
Written off as "fat" and "useless" in his youth, Mark Cavendish has sprinted to the front of the Tour de France peloton to become cycling's brightest star--and its most outspoken. Following his debut book Boy Racer, Cavendish has truly come of age as one of the best cycling sprinters of all time. In At Speed, the Manx Missile details what it took to become the winningest Tour sprinter ever, examines the plan that led to his world championship victory, reveals the personal toll of his sacrifice that helped teammate Bradley Wiggins become the UK's first-ever Tour de France winner, and confesses his bitter disappointment at the London Olympic Games. Screaming fights with teammates, rancorous contract negotiations, crushing disappointments--for Mark Cavendish, winning is always the cure. His book At Speed is the page-turning story of a living legend in the sport of cycling.
