Professional Cycling For the Fans - Suggested Pro cycling books?

Ok, I've just gotten into cycling and enjoy reading about the pros.

I've read (in this order)

Positively False, Floyd Landis
(or It was all technical errors and I'm clean)

From Lance to Landis
(or everybody dopes, except maybe two guys.)

Chasing Lance
(Or my love affair with Lance)

I did enjoy all three and am looking for the next read -
Any particular ones I should look for?

How about "Bumps in the road of life" by Jens Voigt.

A friend of mine wrote "Hearts of Lions" and Six Day Bicycle Races America's Jazz age. He's a historian, so it's not going to be about any current pros.

http://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Lions-American-Bicycle-Racing/dp/0393305767/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254697746&sr=1-1


http://www.amazon.com/Six-Day-Bicycle-Races-Americas-Jazz-age/dp/189249549X

I thoroughly enjoyed Dog in a Hat (http://adoginahat.com/), by Joe Parkin. :)

Tim Krabbé's The Rider (De renner (http://usedbooksblog.com/blog/the-rider-by-tim-krabbe/)).

Some good suggestions, so far. Also, anything by Samuel Abt, especially if you want to read about historical figures in cycling as well as contemporary riders.

rough ride paul kimmage

putr me back on the bike William fotheringham (about tom simpson amd his death on mont ventoux)

i thoroughly enjoyed dog in a hat (http://adoginahat.com/), by joe parkin. :)

+1


tim krabbé's the rider (de renner (http://usedbooksblog.com/blog/the-rider-by-tim-krabbe/)).

+100

While Tim Krabbe's book is fictional, it is a great read for what life in European cycling was like in the levels below what are today's ProTour and Continental levels.

As for good fictional reads - I did enjoy the two Shield novels even if they were slightly formula-driven. Ironically, much of what he wrote about was written before it occurred!

http://www.daveshields.com/Index.html


Couple more points -- the Pantani bio is good. As is the book about Jaques Antequil's life. And, despite the fact that I don't adore him (I was following European cycling when Sean Kelly was racing) I did like Lance's first book (not about the bike) but that is more for the cancer stuff.

anything by Samuel Abt

+1

Superb author

Any of Bob Roll's books (first is OOP, though).

I like reading results and such and then comparing the names etc to who got popped afterwards. It seems that a lot of dumb racers (tactically) get popped.

Breaking the Chain, Willy Voets

The picture books are good, the tall ones that don't fit in regular shelves.

There are some interesting sites too:
http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/
http://www.stanford.edu/~learnest/cyclops/

I don't have any bookmarked at work but those are the ones that pop to mind on history etc.

I think the best thing would be reading old Winning and VeloNews magazines.

cdr

+1 to Breaking the Chain, the book is quite an eye opener even if the Festina affair was
over 10 years ago.
The death of Marco Pantani by Matt Rendell was good
Man on the Run ( Marco Pantani ) by Maneula Ronchi was also good but as she was
his agent it's less than objective.
I read the Armstrong books and none lived up to It's not about the bike. The
rest were just more volleys from the LA machine.

Marty

http://www.paloaltobicycles.com/books/racing_books.html

This is a pretty comprehensive list.

One of my favorites is 'Kings of the Road by Robin Magowan with photos by Graham Watson. Lot's a great photos of old school heros.

Dave

I'll add another vote for A Dog in a Hat by Joe Parkin.

Yellow Jersey by Ralph Hurne. It's fiction, but good.

rough ride written by paul kimmage


+1

Ill put in another vote for Dog in a Hat. It's a very good book. Not the best grammar and structure wise but it's a very easy and quick read.

Thanks - I'm working through them
Read Tour De France- Three weeks to glory by Abt, it was good with a lot of reference to history of the tour.

I'm in the middle of my favorite book by far...Very funny but also covering alot about the tour such as history of doping, Tom Simpson, and a lot of other history. The guy is an 'average' guy who decides to buy a bike to try and ride the tour route himself a month before the actual tour.

French Revolutions by Tim Moore

The Great Bike Race, by Geoffrey Nicholson.