Breaking the Chain: Drugs and Cycling - The True Story

The publishing of Breaking the Chain must surely rub salt into cycling's ugly wounds. The sport is still reeling from the explosion of controversy that was sparked by the arrest of Team Festina backroom staff member Willy Voet and his cargo of narcotics, on the Franco-Belgian border on July 8, 1998. The subsequent police investigation uncovered a drugs scandal that destroyed that year's Tour de France but Voet sensationally claims in Breaking The Chain, endemic cheating has been at the heart of the sport for years.

Voet's role as team "pharmacist"--ferrying and administering the cocktails of performance-enhancing drugs--made him the invisible hand that shaped the fortunes of one of the sport's most successful teams and he spares little detail in relating how it was done. Step-by-step guides to the business of "charging" on amphetamines and testosterone, administering mid-race injections and the secrets of beating the dope tests, are revealed for the first time.

.You slip the part of the tube fitted with the condom up the backside, inject clean urine up the tube ... cork it and stick it to the skin following the line of the perineum as far as the testicles ... this system was never bettered ... I used it for three years without any worries.

This is an astonishing story and Voet's is an amusing, candid voice--strong on the thrills of cheating and on the horrors of being caught--but given the ongoing investigations, and that fact the Voet, along with other senior members of the Festina team, is living under the cloud of a suspended prison sentence, it is hard to gauge whether the author's version of events has itself been "doctored". He names specific individuals related to the Festina case but protects the identities of other cheats that he claims operated on the pro circuit and it remains to be seen whether the full story of the scandal has now been told. --Alex Hankin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Cycling Anatomy

This book allows readers to see what it takes to maximise cycling power, speed and endurance! "Cycling Anatomy" will give readers the knowledge to improve their performance by increasing muscular strength and optimising the efficiency of every movement. "Cycling Anatomy" features 74 of the most effective cycling exercises, each with clear, step-by-step descriptions and full-colour anatomical illustrations highlighting the primary muscles in action. This book goes beyond exercises by placing with illustrations of the active muscles involved in cornering, climbing, descending and sprinting, detailing exactly the exercises which are fundamentally linked to cycling performance. From steep inclines to slick terrains, "Cycling Anatomy" will ensure cyclists are prepared for any challenge in the road ahead. Riders can learn how to modify exercises to target specific areas, reduce muscle tension and minimise common cycling injuries, finally learning ways to pull it all together to develop training based on the individuals needs and goals. Whether training for an upcoming century ride or just trying to best that killer hill with strength to spare, "Cycling Anatomy" will ensure every reader gets the most out of every ride.

A Racing Cyclist's Worst Nightmare: And Other Stories of the Golden Age

Sheffielder Tony Hewson is a former champion racing cyclist who won the 1955 Tour of Britain and went on to represent his country in the Warsaw - Berlin - Prague and the Tour de France. His first book, "In Pursuit of Stardom", was a widely acclaimed memoir of the 1950s telling how he and his companions faced handicap and privation in their struggle to earn a living a-wheel on the European continent. "A Cyclist's Worst Nightmare" covers a similar time-scope, though as a collection of individual but interrelated stories it employs a variety of different literary genres - autobiography, biography, discourse and fiction. Whilst each piece can be enjoyed in its own right, the work as a whole casts light on an era of UK cycling history in the aftermath of World War II that until now has been somewhat neglected and forgotten. Some events, for example the tumultuous birth and demise of the rebel British League of Racing Cyclists that split the sport and framed its future, have ramifications to this day. From foul-mouthed Jean Robic ('I haven't enough enemies!') to aggressive Korean war-veteran Reg ('Heroes we were - fat thanks we get.') via bullied national service 'nutter' Michael ('a queer boy wi' them fancy togs n' that weird show-off bike'), the mood is one of a shared sense of grievance from real and imagined characters who see themselves as put-upons in search of recognition. The theme of the social outsider will ring bells with any reader who has ever been a committed cyclist in the British Isles, and will also be of interest to many who have not.

Cycling Home from Siberia, Rob Lilwall

It is late October, and the temperature is already -40C...My thoughts are filled with frozen rivers that may or may not hold my weight; empty, forgotten valleys haunted by emaciated ghosts and packs of ravenous, merciless wolves.

In 2004 Rob Lilwall arrived in Siberia equipped only with a bike and a healthy dose of fear. CYCLING HOME FROM SIBERIA recounts his epic three and a half year, 30,000 mile journey back to England via the foreboding jungles of Papua New Guinea, an Australian cyclone and Afghanistan's war-torn Hindu Kush.

A gripping story of endurance and adventure, this is also a spiritual journey giving a poignant insight into life on the road in some of the world's toughest corners.
www.cyclinghomefromsiberia.com

The Complete Book of Long Distance Cycling: Build the Strength, Skills and Confidence to Ride as Far as You Want

A guide to training for distance offers strategies and riding techniques, and explains how to design a training plan, maximize nutrition, avoid injury and overtraining, prepare mentally, build a milage base, and select equipment.

Two Wheels: Thoughts from the Bike Lane, Matt Seaton

Cycling is going through a revolution. Over half a million of us take to our bicycles every day and, as a result, the public image of cycling has been transformed. No longer the preserve of the marginal and eccentric few, it's now considered cool to travel on two wheels. Guardian journalist Matt Seaton is one of cycling's greatest advocates.

An out-and-out bike nut, he rides to work during the week, races at the weekend and has even been known to attend transport policy conferences in between. In this collection, Seaton not only explores a nation's rediscovered love of cycling, he also investigates the issues that affect all cyclists, from potholes and town planning to cycling etiquette and aesthetics. Whether you're a commuter or a competitive racer, a recreational rider or a cycle tourist, this book will prove irresistible - and enlightening - reading.

Its Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. Lance Armstrong

People around the world have found inspiration in the story of Lance Armstrong--a world-class athlete nearly struck down by cancer, only to recover and win the Tour de France, the multiday bicycle race famous for its gruelling intensity.

Armstrong is a thoroughgoing Texan jock, and the changes brought to his life by his illness are startling and powerful, but he's just not interested in wearing a hero suit. While his vocabulary is a bit on the he-man side (highest compliment to his wife: "she's a stud"), his actions will melt the most hard-bitten souls: a cancer foundation and benefit bike ride, his astonishing commitment to training that got him past countless hurdles, loyalty to the people and corporations that never gave up on him.

There's serious medical detail here, which may not be for the faint of heart; from chemo to surgical procedures to his wife's in vitro fertilization, you won't be spared a single x-ray, IV drip, or unfortunate side effect. Athletes and coaches everywhere will benefit from the same extraordinary detail provided about training sessions--every aching tendon, every rainy afternoon, and every small triumph during his long recovery is here in living colour.

It's Not About the Bike is the perfect title for this book about life, death, illness, family, setbacks, and triumphs, but not especially about the bike. --Jill Lightner, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Express on Sunday
‘If you read just one sports book this year, this is the one'