With the Giro d’Italia starting in Belfast and the Tour de France kicking off in Yorkshire, 2014 is a huge year for cycling in Britain and so it made perfect sense for volume four of the Anthology to have a British theme at its heart.
This is the collection of essays our editors and writers have compiled. Each of the 11 chapters is original and timeless.
The book will be published as a paperback and ebook by Yellow Jersey Press on June 5.
Co-editor Lionel Birnie said: ‘The joy of putting together the Anthology is seeing what our team of talented writers come up with. We give a free rein to explore a subject that really inspires them and once again we’ve been bowled over by the quality and depth of the writing. When reading the chapters as they come in, I frequently have moments when I think “I wish I’d written this”. All our writers are out there working in cycling day-to-day, week-to-week and their knowledge and experience really shines through in every piece.’
The Inimitable Jock Wadley
by William Fotheringham
The name Jock Wadley may not be a name familiar to all cycling fans but for those of a certain age it is one to be admired, revered almost. Wadley was the writer who arguably first made cycling come alive on the page for a British audience. He went to Europe, immersed himself in the sport and transported the sights, sounds and flavour of this distinctly Continental pursuit back home. He also helped the Great Britain team when they first tackled the Tour, simply because he knew more about the race than the riders did. William explains who Wadley was and why his influence is still felt to this day.
Lights, Camera, Action
by Orla Chennaoui
Sky News reporter Orla takes us behind the scenes at the 2013 Giro d’Italia as Bradley Wiggins aimed to become the first British rider to win Italy’s Grand Tour. As we know, Wiggins’s bid soon derailed but it was nevertheless a compelling race. Along the way there was snow, sun, Champagne showers and being shot at (yes, really) in this revealing account of life on the road reporting on a grand tour.
Zen and the Art of Grand Tour Sprinting
by Lionel Birnie
On the face of it, sprinting appears to be the most binary of all the disciplines in grand tour racing. One rider wins, everyone else loses. But amid the blur of a sprint finish there’s so much more going on. Lionel sits down with the world’s top sprinter, Mark Cavendish, to dissect a sprint finish and discovers it’s as much a mental challenge as a physical one.
Inside the Parisian Dream Factory
by James Startt
In the 1980s, every aspiring British amateur (and Aussie and American for that matter) dreamed of joining l’ACBB – the Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt. It was the club based on the outskirts of Paris that embraced English-speaking riders in the early Eighties and propelled the likes of Stephen Roche, Robert Millar and Phil Anderson to pro careers. But then, almost as soon as it began, the love affair with the English-speakers was over. James visits Paris to find out more.
The Crash
by Matt Stephens
The moment he saw the Tour on Alpe d’Huez Matt knew what he wanted to do. But dreams don’t always come true just because you want them to. Matt followed the path to Paris and the ACBB club just as French cycling was hitting a recession. The pro contract he longed for did not materialise. But he did not give up. He went back to the UK and became one of the stalwarts of the domestic scene. Then, in 2000, the Linda McCartney team offered him a chance to ride the Giro d’Italia. His long journey explains why he refused to throw in the towel easily when he suffered a terrible crash early in the race.
Il Pirata
by Daniel Friebe
The Festina doping scandal threw the 1998 Tour de France and its Grand Départ in Dublin into turmoil. Cycling was desperate for a saviour and the brilliance of Marco Pantani in the mountains appeared to be a gift sent from heaven. But, as Daniel explains, Pantani’s victory did not turn a fresh page for the sport. This is the story of Italy’s last great hurrah, a study of Pantani at his best and a look at the sudden descent that followed.
A Day Trip to Devon
by Keith Bingham
The Tour de France first visited England in 1974. Keith was there to watch the riders arrive by plane. He stood by the roadside and observed these exotic Continental creatures during their day trip to Devon. He explains the magic and majesty of seeing Eddy Merckx and the other greats on British roads and wonders why it took 20 years for the Tour to visit Britain again.
The Long-Distance Lorry Driver*
by Richard Moore
Just what did happen to Basque rider Iban Mayo when he retired? Didn’t he become a long-distance lorry driver? Richard sits down for a long lunch with a man who was once capable of pushing Lance Armstrong to his limits and discovers a sensitive soul who is enjoying his life off the bike.
Ken Russell’s Tour
by Pete Cossins
Winning a stage race as part of a team is tough enough. Trying to win alone is another matter altogether. As the Tour de France visits Yorkshire, Pete Cossins looks at the career of one of the county’s cycling heroes and his attempt to win the 1952 Tour of Britain.
Tapping out a Rhythm
by Ellis Bacon
Queen liked to ride their bicycles and Mark Ronson and friends wanted to ride theirs until they got home. Music and cycling go together like poetry in motion. Ellis looks at some of the songs inspired by cycling and finds that British bands the Delgados and Abdoujaparov share a love of bike racing.
The Other Side of the Coin
by Alasdair Fotheringham
History is usually written by the victor and so Stephen Roche’s account of the 1987 Tour de France has become the definitive one. But what about the man he defeated? Alasdair travelled to Madrid to meet Pedro Delgado and get his side of the story.
The Nearly Men
by Tom Southam
The question is familiar to all professional riders past and present. Have you ridden the Tour de France? Tom meets riders who, like him, were professional but did not make it to the Tour and discovers that perhaps it is not the be-all-and-end-all.
The Cycling Anthology volume four is published by Yellow Jersey Press and is available from June 5 priced £8.99. It’s also available from all major booksellers.