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Ventoux

Ventoux

VentouxBert Wagendorp’s Ventoux, recently translated by Paul Vincent, is a coming of age novel that opens with an old photograph of six friends on a cycling holiday in1982 and develops slowly into an odd, but enjoyable, brew of mystery, sport and social history genres. The novel, which at first glance seems a speed-read holiday book, has more depth than that and takes in the nature of friendship, musings on the nature of time, the small choices we make that can change our lives and a floating brothel.

 

Wagendorp is shameless in employing the well worn trope of childhood friends who share a dark secret and reunite later in life to reconcile with their past. If that sounds like a cycling version of ‘lets get the band back together’ then here is the line up:

 

Our hero and narrator, Bart – crime journalist, cyclist, divorced and nearly fifty

Andre – gone off the rails, drug dealer, getting his life back in shape after prison

Joost – maths genius turned rockstar scientist, but heading for a fall

David – the ‘stay at home’ owner of his father’s travel agency in their hometown of Zutphen

Peter – ethereal, gifted poet and published by the time he’s 18

 

The Yoko of this story is siren and muse, Laura. Her sudden appearance among the teenage friends triggers the competition and jealousy that ultimately leads to the tragic event that forms the hub of the story.

 

The re-emergence of Laura in 2012 and the renewed connections between the characters develop in a fractured timeline that suits the slow reveal of the ‘event’. The conclusion of these renewed relationships drives them all to make a return journey to mark the 30th anniversary.

 

Despite the non-linear structure and the rich references this is a page-turner that is very funny, and often very touching. The Epilogue, which feels a little of an after-thought, is pure Edam but we can forgive that as the rest of the book is such a fun ride.

 

The book is heavy with musical, literary and artistic allusions and connections – from Proust and the Col de Madeleine to Petrarch’s ‘The Accent of Mount Ventoux’ to the film The Night Porter and Italian Cinema in general. That’s all before we get to the liberal references to the history of cycling, the poems of Jan Kal, The Rider by Tim Krabbe and, of course, Tommy Simpson.

 

As co-founder and editor of the cycling magazine The Wall, Bert Wagendorp obviously knows his cycling. The book was a bestseller in Wagendorp’s native Netherlands as well as Germany, France, Denmark and Norway. A Dutch version of Ventoux was filmed in 2015.

 

Ventoux by Bert Wagendorp / Paul Vincent is published by World Editions International, currently available from, amongst other places, Amazon at £10.68 hardback and £ £6.53 on Kindle.

 

 

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Books Reviews

Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy

Gironimo!

Gironimo!Tim Moore is a writer not afraid to take on a challenge. Over a decade ago he rode the route of the Tour de France for his book French Revolutions and now, feeling his achievements somewhat undermined by the exploits of Lance Armstrong, he has taken on the less tarnished (discuss) Giro d’Italia in Gironimo! That may sound tough enough by most standards but Moore goes one further recreating, of sorts, the notorious 1914 edition to give the book its full title Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy. This was a race defined by almost unimaginable weather (‘a cocktail of fog, rain, mud and bone-chilling cold’), 400km stages and the fact that of the 81 riders who set off from Milan 90% failed to make it back. Want more from Moore? He does the whole thing on a hundred year old bike with wooden wheels, no gears and brake blocks carved by hand from corks…

 

Moore’s style is one of gentle humour and knowing self-mockery – think, perhaps, Bill Bryson on two wheels. But he also serves up an excellent history of cycling both as a social movement and sport (1869 claimed the first cycle-related death, did you know?) and doesn’t hold back the forthright views: ‘I don’t hate Lance Armstrong because he was a drugs cheat, but because he’s just so thoroughly unpleasant.’

 

His achievement in completing the route is commendable, even if he did take 32 days to complete what the 1914 riders did in eight, and the humour in the face of adversity (frequently closed restaurants) is always heart-warming. As history in the retelling Gironimo! works perfectly and is likely to lead reader off towards a dozen other books – French Revolution should be amongst them. Who knows, maybe even a handful of readers will be tempted to set out on their own recreation; so long as more than 10% make it back.

 

If Moore’s looking for his next book idea maybe he should recreate the Froome-claiming Stage 5 of this year’s Tour de France. ‘Very Terrible’ indeed…

 

Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy by Tim Moore is published by Yellow Jersey (ISBN-10: 0224092073). It is available in both paperback and Kindle format from amazon.co.uk

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Featured Features

Cycling Christmas Presents 2013

Andy Scullion

Time then to fill your Christmas stocking with all things two-wheel themed and with Cyclo’s guide to Cycling Christmas Presents 2013 we think we’ve included something for everyone – even for those who think they already have everything…

 

Andy ScullionAndy Scullion Prints

 

Andy Scullion is a graphic designer who graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2009 with a degree in product design – he combines his passion for cycling (his current bike is a Specialized Allez, since you ask) with a talent for creating beautiful bike-related products. Amongst his numerous print works our favourite is simply entitled ‘Bikes’ and features over 100 miniature masterpieces of two-wheeled wonders. Handmade and available in a variety of sizes (A2, A3, A4) and with prices starting at around £13.50 there’s plenty for all budgets and there’s nothing that says ‘I love bikes’ like hanging some pictures around the house, right? You can contact Andy and view and purchase his work at etsy.com

 

 

Andy ScullionTour de France T-Shirt

 

Also on offer from Andy (we featured his Ts extensively during this year’s TdF) is this pretty stylish Tour de France non-technical T-Shirt. A great piece of graphic design that will either remind you of this year’s stunning event or set you up nicely in anticipation of the 2014 Grand Départ. Handmade to order and available in S, M, L, XL and XXL at £15 the TdF T-shirt is just one of a dozen designs, which also include a version of the ‘Bikes’ print featured above and several Brompton-based ones for lovers of the classic folding bike. Again, you can contact Andy and view and purchase his work at etsy.com

 

 

seventyfour degreesSignature Series T-Shirts

 

On the subject of both non-tech T-shirts and the Tour de France, Cyclo has also enjoyed the Signature Series Ts from 74°. Made using soft, comfortable 100% fairtrade organic heavyweight cotton jersey with seamless set-in rib knit collar and taped shoulder and neck for comfort, these Ts are available in a range of designs each featuring a classic TdF climb – Col du Galibier, Alpe d’Huez, Mont Ventoux, etc. – with a stylised representation and associated quote for each. Not only do they look and feel good, they have that slight ‘I know what I’m talking about’ quality that serious bike and Grand Tour aficionados will revel in.  Available in S, M, L, XL and XXL at £20, details and online purchase at seventyfourdegrees.com

 

 

swiss sideSwiss Side Carbon Cage & QR Skewers

 

Swiss Side only fired up back in 2011 but their mission to produce quality additions that compliment their growing wheel options whilst helping to minimise weight has already impressed. As founder Jean-Paul Ballard puts it: ‘Reducing weight is always important on a road bike as less weight ultimately means more power to the ground… We’ve chosen titanium and carbon fibre materials to achieve the lightest possible weight.’ Their ultra-light titanium & carbon fibre quick release skewers weigh in at just 43g, whilst their carbon bottle cage is just 26g – both well worth considering for the cyclist that really likes to tot up the overall weight.  £36.50 for the QR skewers and £28 for the cage – further details at swissside.com

 

 

TiddsTidds

 

Is this taking weight-saving too far? Maybe, but for carbon fetishists out there Tidds are dinky little silicone plugs that replace standard metal bottle cage bolts, shaving a reported 90% of the weight in the process. Coming in at just 0.5g for a pair (£3.99), you just lube them and push and twist to fit. Even if you don’t think the minimalist weight alone is worth it, they do clean up the line and look of te bike (choose from black, white or pink) and next time someone is boasting about their carbon creature you can nod wisely and say, ‘yes, but do you have Tidds?’ A nice stocking-filler for the cyclist that really, really does have everything (else). More at siliconetidds.com

 

 

Ultimate Bike SolutionUltimate Bike Solution

 

Okay, this is definitely not the sexiest Christmas present you could buy someone; so perhaps just treat yourself. We love anything that makes our life easier so the one-stop Ultimate Bike Solution really appealed – it’s basically an all-in-one oil/lube/protector/degreaser/cleaner. Wash down the bike after use, spray all over with Ultimate Bike Solution (being careful not to spray brake pads or discs) and you get a shiny bike that’s lubed and ready to go next time you are. Ultimate Bike Solution retails at £9.99 with further details at ultimatebikesolution.com and online purchase at scottoiler.com

 

 

Mountain HigherMountain Higher

 

Cyclo’s favourite book of the year is (probably) Domestique by Charly Wegelius but if your looking for a present to inspire the cyclist in your life – or get them to go on holiday without you – we would highly recommend Mountain Higher: Europe’s Extreme, Undiscovered and Unforgettable Cycle Climbs by Daniel Friebe and Pete Goding. Covering the continent’s lesser-known, but still challenging and spectacular mountain roads and passes, this is a sumptuous large-format book (no cycling jersey pocket potential unfortunately) that gives both lucid and narrative accounts of each detailed climb along with all the stats and stunning photographs to boot. Want more? The free QuercusEye app allows you to hover over a selection of the photos and have them augmented with video and additional detail. Published by Quercus and with an RRP of £25.00 – Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

 

Looking for more cycling books? See Cyclo’s guide to the Best Cycling Books 2013 here.

 

wheel writerFuze Wheel Writer

 

Excellent side-on visibility, arguably for kids (or the big kids in all of us), comes in the form of the Fuze Wheel Writer. It looks initially daunting when it comes to fitting the individual parts to the bike’s spokes, but is far easier than we first feared. Once in place and switched on the Wheel Writer’s ultra-bright LEDs can be set to display a range of images and animations as the wheel spins – aliens, skulls, flames, an old-fashioned ‘space invader’… There’s even an option to display the bike’s speed if you’re really looking to impress. It’s not the most robust or weather-proof piece of kit, but might just provide the fun needed to encourage reluctant children to take cycling safety into consideration. Helps make cycling fun too (but of course it already is…) RRP £19.99 and widely available online. Including from Argos.

 

 

egg helmetsEGG Helmet

Also for the younger cyclist and definitely the cutest product we’ve see this year is the EGG helmet. Suitable not only for cycle and skate but also snow and water sports, the EGG is an incredibly solid piece of kit that allows for almost infinite configuration and personalisation. Pick a helmet – small at 48-52cm or medium 52-56cm, add a ‘skin’ – anything from union jacks (or union flags for the pedants amongst you) to daredevil ‘Dante’ flames or Cath Kidston-style flowers then add 3D adornments such as horns, fruit stalks or mini-mohawks, which can be snapped onto the helmet even once on. With an ABS outer shell, a flexible EPP safety core, and an EVA comfort core the sandwich design offers maximum protection, whilst an integrated finger-press air pump adjusts everything for ultimate comfort. The basic EGG helmet costs £59.95 with skins and adornments ranging upwards of £7.95 – available from John Lewis.

 

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Best Cycling Books 2013

No arguing that’s it’s been another great year for cycling and an equally good one for books on the subject. With Cyclo’s Best Cycling Books 2013 guide  you can flesh out your Christmas list or get some inspiration for 2014. We’ve picked out our top 5 for your reading pleasure (and thrown in a couple of close contenders too), but if you think there’s something we’ve missed let us know at editor@cyclo.co.uk

 

 

domestiqueDomestique, The True Life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro

 

A pro rider for more than a decade with some 14 Grand Tours to his credit, Charly Wegelius sets bare the true struggle of life on the circuit and demystifies much of cycling’s inner machinations but his book is also one of humbling simplicity in many ways and his modesty shines. In his opening chapter, ‘Prologue’ (Cav went for this ‘gag’ in At Speed too), Wegelius says: ‘What is it to be a great cycling champion, I will never know. What I can tell you is what it is to race bicycles for a living’. And if you want to know what it’s like to be the man who works day in, day out for the glory of others this lays it on the line.

 

Wegelius and co-author Tom Southam, once a pro himself, now known for his journalism in the sport, balance humour with brutal reality (‘forget the glamour, welcome to the shitty, true life ups and downs of a tour cyclist’) and the decision to avoid salacious gossip and exposé in favour of straight talk is to be applauded heartily. Easily our favourite cycling book of the year.

 

The True Life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro, Ebury Press (ISBN-10: 0091950937) is currently out in hardback at £16.99 (Kindle £9.49) with the paperback edition due February 2014. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

 

mountain_higherMountain Higher

 

Subtitled Europe’s Extreme, Undiscovered and Unforgettable Cycle Climbs, Mountain Higher is the sequel (of sorts) to Daniel Friebe and Pete Goding’s beautiful Mountain High: Europe’s 50 Greatest Cycle Climbs. Concentrating here on the continent’s lesser-known, but still challenging and spectacular mountain roads and passes this is a sumptuous large-format book (no cycling jersey pocket potential unfortunately) that gives both lucid and narrative accounts of each detailed climb along with all the stats and stunning photographs to boot.

 

The spread through Europe is good – even Belgium gets something of a surprise entry with the 111m climb over 2.2km of the Oude Kwaremont – and those of a techie nature will enjoy the free QuercusEye app which allows you to hover over a selection of the photos and have them augmented with video and other detail. Mountain Higher is certainly amongst our favourite coffee-table books of the year regardless if you are planning to use it for adventure prep or fantasy musings.

 

Mountain Higher: Europe’s Extreme, Undiscovered and Unforgettable Cycle Climbs (ISBN-10: 1780879121) by Daniel Friebe and Pete Goding is published by Quercus, RRP £25.00 – Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

 

tdf2013_book_largeTour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition

 

Those sunny days of summer may be far behind but relive them (and a hundred more) in this beautifully produced commemorative book. Of course there are no end of volumes on various aspects of the Tour de France and numerous biographies of those you have ridden it to fill in the more personal (often painful) minutiae. But now, thanks to publishers Quercus, comes one as rich and beguiling as the race itself.

 

Covering the birth of the TdF before dedicating a page per race through the subsequent one hundred editions, it includes overviews that capture the agony and ecstasy along with brief stats, such as final standings, total distances, average winner speed and map, all of which helps contextualise things. More importantly it is also a stunningly illustrated visual history with more than 250 photographs and illustrations, many previously unpublished. As a written history, with substantial sidebars, this book is near perfect; as a collectable coffee table picture book it is unsurpassed.

 

Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition is published by Quercus (ISBN-10: 1782064141) and worth every penny of the £30 cover price. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

 

at_speedAt Speed

 

At Speed is, in essence, volume two of Mark Cavendish’s autobiography. Boy Racer was published back in 2010, but more than enough has happened to the ‘Manx Missile’ in the intervening years to justify another slice – multiple jerseys from all three Grand Tours, the Olympics, the World Road Race title… You get the idea.

 

Opening with a thrillingly recounted chapter on the World Championship road race in Copenhagen At Speed takes an occasionally non-linear journey through the other ups and (occasional) downs of Cav’s recent career across three teams in as many years. As befits a cyclist who places equal emphasis on mental as physical prowess – he’s an avid Sudoku solver – he never presents excuses for his failures, just highly analytical and insightful reasons. Although co-written by ghost Daniel Friebe, who, as co-author of Mountain Higher gets two of our top five slots for 2013, At Speed manages to retain a real ‘first hand’ feel through which Cav’s voice and ambitions are clearly heard.

 

At Speed (ISBN-10: 0091933404) by Mark Cavendish and Daniel Friebe is published by Ebury Press. RRP £20 hardback and £9.49 on Kindle. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

 

racing_hardRacing Hard

 

Few cycling journalists have enjoyed a career as long and esteemed as that of William Fotheringham; since joining the Guardian in 1989 he has established himself as a writer respected not only by the lay-reader but by the Grand Tour participants – he is undoubtedly as ‘riders’ journalist’.  Racing Hard, published by Faber and Faber, brings together what might be considered the definitive collection of tales from the front line of pro-racing, which, taken together, becomes something of a meditation on the changing face of the sport over the last two decades.

 

The forward by David Millar not only sets out the regard with which Fotheringham is held, but encapsulates the span of his work; Millar writes: ‘William has put my career into words, from an ambitious teenager to a fallen world champion to a fervent anti-doping campaigner, team owner and father.’ Those that know and love Fotheringham’s work as a journalist or author (read the review of his book Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike here) will naturally gravitate towards Racing Hard; but hopefully it will also bring his words to those unfamiliar with his prolific output and earn him yet more dedicated followers. He’s worked long and hard for them…

 

Racing Hard (ISBN-10: 0571303625) is published by Faber and Faber, RRP £12.99 paperback and Kindle £4.79. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

Also Rode:

They may not have made our Top Five, but treating yourself to one of our ‘Also Rode’ picks is more than recommended…

 

It’s All About the Bike: My Autobiography – Sean Yates

One of our greatest pro cyclists and also the mind behind the rise and rise of Team Sky; an extraordinary career and a book well deserving of your time. RRP £18.99 Kindle £9.49. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

The Race Against Time – Edward Pickering

Analysis of the rivalry between living-legends Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman at a time which could be argued was the birth of modern British cycling dominance. RRP £16.99, Kindle £9.49. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

On the Road Bike: The Search For a Nation’s Cycling Soul – Ned Boulting

Boulting, the author of How I Won The Yellow Jumper, takes an odd-ways glance at out nation’s often eccentric approach to cycling.  RRP £14.99, Kindle £8.54. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk

 

Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong – David Walsh

Certainly not the final word on the scandal that is Armstrong, but Walsh remains so inextricably linked to the sordid tale that his book brings a truly unique perspective.  RRP £8.99, Kindle £4.49. Available from, amongst others, Amazon.co.uk 

 

Read more Cyclo book reviews here

 

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Books Featured Reviews

Mountain Higher

Mountain Higher

Mountain HigherSubtitled Europe’s Extreme, Undiscovered and Unforgettable Cycle Climbs, Mountain Higher is the sequel (of sorts) to Daniel Friebe and Pete Goding’s beautiful Mountain High: Europe’s 50 Greatest Cycle Climbs. Concentrating here on the continent’s lesser-known, but still challenging and spectacular mountain roads and passes this is a sumptuous large-format book (no cycling jersey pocket potential unfortunately) that gives both lucid and narrative accounts of each detailed climb along with all the stats and stunning photographs to boot.

 

The spread through Europe is good – even Belgium gets something of a surprise entry with the 111m climb over 2.2km of the Oude Kwaremont – although the UK gets just a single mention in the shape of Scotland’s Bealach ne Bà (626m). But this isn’t a book for stay-at-homes (assuming UK residency), but rather for those looking for truly remote adventure in the less-explored regions of the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland and more. Correction: This isn’t necessarily a trip-planners guide, it works equally well for those who daydream on the sofa…

 

Along with a smattering of lesser inclines, Mountain Higher details around 30 routes that rise above the 1000m mark and a dozen real monsters that top out above 2000m. Because the book is broadly organised lowest to highest each turn of the page reveals an increasingly lung-busting proposition until you finally reach the… No, we won’t spoil the ultimate climb; it would be like revealing that Rosebud was a sledge (with apologies to anyone you still hasn’t seen Citizen Kane.)

 

For those of you that find books made of paper a bit antiquated (tsk!) the free QuercusEye app allows you to hover over a selection of the photos and have them augmented with video and other detail. It’s a slightly fiddly affair and Cyclo found it distracted from the pure pleasure of flicking through such a gorgeously constructed ‘wish-list’ but horses for courses. You can take a look at the video guide to the app at the end of this review…

 

Mountain Higher is certainly amongst our favourite coffee-table books of the year (along with Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition, review here), regardless if you are planning to use it for adventure prep or fantasy musings; if you love two-wheels, it belongs on your shelf.

 

Mountain Higher: Europe’s Extreme, Undiscovered and Unforgettable Cycle Climbs (ISBN-10: 1780879121) by Daniel Friebe and Pete Goding is published by Quercus, RRP £25.00 – available from Amazon.co.uk

 

 

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Every Inch of the Way

Every Inch of the Way

Every Inch of the WayAt the start of Every Inch of the Way, author Tom Bruce, explains that this is not a book, ‘…full of arty descriptions about beautiful places, it doesn’t have any clever metaphors; it’s just my story.’ And so it proves to be – an everyman story (assuming said ‘everyman’ is capable of pedalling 14,379 miles) that covers the globe and proves how liberating two wheels can truly be.

 

Setting off in March, 2011 from his home in Cheshire, Bruce goes unsupported through Europe to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and beyond to China before tackling the trans-American route to his end point – some nine and a half months later – Daytona Beach, Florida.

 

The beauty of the read is two-fold. Firstly Bruce is not setting out to break any records or prove anything about the human condition (though resilience, endurance and self-reliance are certainly discovered along the way) and, secondly, his story is simply told (as he promised it would be). There are no pretentions to the writing, no soaring similes or flights of poetic licence, just a good old-fashioned adventure yarn with the many people me meets and sometimes cycles with providing as much colour as the remote destinations. Bruce is as interested in people – and occasional beer (‘beer tastes so much better after a day of exercise’) – as he is in either cycling or proving his ability.

 

For cyclists Every Inch of the Way may well inspire; perhaps not an epic of these proportions but it’s certainly hard not to read and then immediately want to take to the open road on nothing more complex than two wheels. Every Inch of the Way by Tome Bruce (ISBN-10: 148208306X) is available in paperback, £8.99, or on Kindle either illustrated at £6.98 or sans-photos at £4.99. Either way for pictures and for further information see tombrucecycling.com - buy online at Amazon.co.uk

 

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A Lake District Grand Tour

A Lake District Grand Tour

A Lake District Grand TourIf the Tour de France looks too exhausting to contemplate (even watching) and the Giro is a distant memory how about a Lake District Grand Tour? Part travelogue, part cycling guide and part beautifully sketched social and natural history, Mike Carden’s book takes readers through the literal ups and downs of one of the UK’s most spectacular and diverse landscapes.

 

Heading off with his son Richard in tow – actually most often out front rather than ‘in tow’ – Carden sets about tackling routes via every lake in the Lake District in a nine-day odyssey that is as beguiling as it is (seemingly) simple. The written style, like much of the cycling involved, is relaxed and a gentle, dry humour makes light of proceedings whilst delving into some true gems of archaic local trivia that could have you winning a specialist pub-quiz round hands down. Like any good bike ride there is food aplenty (‘man-size pies’ loom large) and whilst nine-days around the Lakes might not sound like the kind of epic quest that makes for inspiration, Carden does an excellent job of ‘selling’ the area as a must-see destination.

 

Each chapter covers a day in the saddle – for example the 56miles from Gramere to Cockermouth – and whilst the book regrettably lacks pictures there are frequent QR codes that link to the accompanying website (lakedistrictgrandtour.co.uk) for itinerary details, places of interests and further reading; a resourceful approach to publishing. In fact the lack of pictures is perhaps not a downside at all; Carden does a more than adequate job of describing the wonders of Lakeland and there has seldom been a photograph that does adequate justice to the majestic beauty anyway.

 

As US President Woodrow Wilson said – and Carden notes in his book – ‘No doubt God could have made a lovelier country than the Lake District, but I cannot believe he ever did.’ A Lake District Grand Tour is gentle and lyrical, but above all it is an open invitation to come and cycle by the shores of Ullswater, Grasmere, Wast Water, et al. And why wouldn’t you want to? Read the book – take the tour, Lakeland is waiting.

 

A Lake District Grand Tour (ISBN-10: 095566022X) is published by Bike Ride Books, RRP £8.99 and available from Amazon.co.uk

 

See also lakedistrictgrandtour.co.uk for further details.

 

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Domestique, The True Life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro

domestique Charly Wegelius

domestique Charly WegeliusThe domestique. You’ve seen them. In the pack, working away. But possibly those who casually watch the big road races or dip in and out of coverage of the likes of the Tour de France consider riders hung back in the peleton as merely the ‘also rans’; tough riders, no doubt, but simply without the gift or grit of Wiggins, Contador, Nibali, et al. Not so – or at least a massive oversimplification of affairs – as the domestique is a very special breed of rider and one man who knows every detail of their life is Charly Wegelius. A professional for more than a decade with some 14 Grand Tours to his credit, Wegelius’s book Domestique, The True Life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro lays bare the true struggle of life on the circuit and demystifies much of cycling’s inner machinations.

 

In his opening chapter, Prologue (natch), Wegelius says. ‘What is it to be a great cycling champion, I will never know. What I can tell you is what it is to race bicycles for a living’. And so he does, but this is typically self-deprecating – possibly just modest – of Wegelius. A ‘great cycling champion’, perhaps not by strict definition, but a great Domestique? Absolutely.

 

One of the finest achievements of this book is in defining the role of the domestique – ‘…to protect a rider from the wind, fetching food, clothing and information from the car… to manipulate, or force, the shape of a race to change it in favour of his leader.’ At times this seems almost mundane, workmanlike, but Wegelius, with equal measure of wit and wisdom, helps the reader understand what it takes to perform this invaluable role; what it takes to be an athlete of dedication and physical prowess the likes of which us mere mortals can only dream of, but to be denied, by definition of the job, the real shot at glory.    

 

Of course the book is also a biographical progression from cycle-mad kid in York, to driven youth and seasoned professional, and helping Wegelius’s story maintain shape and structure is co-author Tom Southam, once a pro himself, now known for his journalism in the sport. But Southam’s hand is appropriately subtle and it’s Wegelius’s tale and more importantly his ‘voice’ (with all its earthy profanities) that is allowed to shine through.

 

But wait. Will those looking for titillation and scandal on the drugs-front be disappointed? Is it even possible to write a cycling book – particularly one focused on the opening decade of the 21st century – to eschew a mention of doping? Of course not: part of the scene, but this is not an exposé (is there even anything left to expose?); Wegelius sets out his stall from the off: he doesn’t deny the scale of abuse but chooses not to make it his focus.

 

Wegelius balances humour with brutal reality (‘forget the glamour, welcome to the shitty, true life ups and downs of a tour cyclist’); entertainingly written without feeling obliged to turn to the salacious – a refreshing approach to cycling books. Domestique, The True Life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro, Ebury Press (ISBN-10: 0091950937) is currently out in hardback at £16.99 (Kindle £9.29) with the paperback edition due February 2014. Buy online at Amazon.co.uk