This white knuckle ride has both laugh out loud and cringe moments when you hear how different races were, what was considered acceptable behaviour back then. There's also just enough backstory of each character to explain how they came to be part of ANC Halfords. While there's significant stage setting as to what was happening on each stage of the race, to set the scene each chapter, the the main fest is how the team survive the huge endurance event. Unlike the likes of The Secret Race or Magic Spanner, this book captures just three weeks in 1987, and deep dives in to the personalities and how they evolve over the highly pressurised and stressful challenge. It's a who's who guide to the cycling industry, an understanding on cycling politics and an understanding of where many of today's commentators, team managers and performance coaches made their cycling careers. The behind the scenes look at team ANC Halfords was captured by an journalist Jeff Connor who was with the team for the toughest ride of their life. This fast paced true story follows the first British team to enter the Tour de France, and makes you realise why Team Sky going on to win the race two decades later was such a big achievement. Worth following it up with a motivational read of Where There's a Will by Emily Chappell or if you really need an easy slapstick routine then dive immediately in to Magic Spanner by Carlton Kirbyīritish team focused which might be not as engaging for some readers Although, be warned, if you're new to the sport, or a young whippersnapper, this can be depressing reading. It's an old story now, but still one of the best cycling books to read as modern day cycling. Truth hurts, but that's not to say it should be avoided. Reading after the tale of Marco Pantaini will make for auditable sighs and how did nothing get learnt.

It gives the foundation for understanding why the likes of David Millar and Thomas Dekker fell in to the dark side of performance enhancing drugs, better than they could do themselves in their own autobiographies. In the no holds bared telling of his story, Hamilton reveals all to Daniel Coyle in in turn captures the extreme detail in a compelling and easy to understand page turner. Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.Īn open book style confession, that is considered by most of the top Pro Cycling journalists as the real truth behind some of Lance Armstrong's Tour de France wins. No surprise ending and could be considered dated.

The secret race book