Categories: Book ReviewNostalgiaRacingTradition

William Fotheringham: Racing Hard

It’s not a secret around these parts that William Fotheringham is my favorite Cycling journalist. Growing up as a budding Velominatus in the isolated island known as North America, I could count on one hand the publications that even mentioned Cycling, let alone provided reliable coverage. Winning Magazine and Velonews were my source for race information, but they came out weeks or months after the events they were covering had transpired. Several times a year, however, my dad would come home from a trip to Europe carrying a suitcase loaded with every Cycling publication he could get his hands on, regardless of language.

His cache would usually include a newspaper or two and it was here that I first learned of William Fotheringham. His articles were usually written immediately after the events transpired and, because several of the Pros at the time were from Britain and Ireland, he often had some inside information to relate about the events. I loved it. This was, incidentally, how I came to learn of Royce, a love affair that continues to this day. When he founded Cycle Sport magazine, my dad got a subscription despite the stratospheric cost due to the international shipping. Cycle Sport existed on another plane from the other Cycling rags in the quality and depth of coverage, and I attributed that – right or wrong – to William.

Fotheringham’s latest book, Racing Hard, is a collection of his works throughout his 20 years as a Cycling journalist. The book appeals on a number of levels. The writing is fantastic to begin with, and reading the articles relating events from 20, 10, or 5 years ago through the lens of their context at the time they transpired is a wonderful trip down memory lane. But most of all, the pretext and posttext added to most articles provides interesting insight given his 20/20 hindsight knowing what we know now. Reading the book, I felt as though he was reading his old articles and adding his insight just like you or I might do in picking up an old newspaper and coming across one of his pieces.

The articles he picked for the book also cover elements I completely missed out on due to the lack of coverage here in the States. For instance, the account of Boardman’s crash and subsequent interview are new to me. (We knew about the crash, of course, but our coverage here was more along the lines of, “Some Pommy twat slipped in the rain and now has an owie.”) Another example was the account of Greg LeMond’s last abandon from the Tour de France, climbing into the broom wagon as his team refused to give him a seat in the team car. A triple Tour winner in the broom wagon…

Racing Hard went on sale yesterday, so while you pop out to buy a leaked copy of our book, grab William’s book as well. If nothing else, it will help contrast The Rules with a competently written book.

Racing Hard

ISBN: 0571303625

Publisher: Faber Books

Amazon: Paperback, Kindle

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

TBONE says:

Jun 11 2013 at 2:33 pm

@Ron

And, does Pharmstrong have his FD setup with the DT shifter in that photo? I only see his right shifter cable emerging, not a left one.

It is possible, at the top of the Alpe d'Huez one of his bikes is there, DT shifter for the front to save weight. This was for the TT up the Alpe d'Huez.
brett says:

Jun 13 2013 at 12:27 am

So if Millar wrote Wil's foreword, and Wil wrote ours, and Brailsford wrote Millar's, does that mean Wiggo will write our next one? "Velominati are a bunch of bone-idle wanker cunts." That'll pretty much nail it.
Deakus says:

Jun 13 2013 at 1:05 am

@Ron

I went to my local uni library today to check out their cycling books. They have a fair amount on the subject, and some great photo book (albums) of Le Tour. I avoid that section when I have work to do but today I had some free time and hadn't looked at them in too long.

I know the section well enough that I can just climb two flights of stairs and find it. Much to my surprise I saw a book on the shelf that I had yet to see. In multi-colored letters a spine read: "MERCKX."

Oh my. What a treasure. I didn't know that Mr. Fotheringham had written a text on The Prophet. I can wait to read it! (need to ask a friend who is a student to check it out for me, ah the lengths I'll go to for my passion)

Also, there is an incredible photo in there of Merckx unconscious on the ground after his derny crash, bloodied, but a hand still reached out for the bars. His front wheel is bonkers, bent in half and I think his tubular is rolled off. It occurred in 1969. To think, Eddy accomplished all that, all those 500 some wins...with a bad back?! What a fucking cannibal is right.

An hour after I picked up the book I found myself halfway into a ride. I thought, "Wait, I wasn't planning on riding today?" I guess a few photos and that colorful font lighting up "MERCKX" was all I needed. Awesomeness, looking forward to checking it out, Mr. Fotheringham!

I tried to hunt down the photo and the nearest I could come up with was this one which sounds similar which was connected to Merckx but I think this is Jean Paul Moser who was run over and died aged 22. The Prophet dedicated his MSR win to him that year...O and reading and riding is dangerous, you should be careful!
Chris says:

Jun 13 2013 at 2:12 am

@Deakus

@Ron

I went to my local uni library today to check out their cycling books. They have a fair amount on the subject, and some great photo book (albums) of Le Tour. I avoid that section when I have work to do but today I had some free time and hadn't looked at them in too long.

I know the section well enough that I can just climb two flights of stairs and find it. Much to my surprise I saw a book on the shelf that I had yet to see. In multi-colored letters a spine read: "MERCKX."

Oh my. What a treasure. I didn't know that Mr. Fotheringham had written a text on The Prophet. I can wait to read it! (need to ask a friend who is a student to check it out for me, ah the lengths I'll go to for my passion)

Also, there is an incredible photo in there of Merckx unconscious on the ground after his derny crash, bloodied, but a hand still reached out for the bars. His front wheel is bonkers, bent in half and I think his tubular is rolled off. It occurred in 1969. To think, Eddy accomplished all that, all those 500 some wins...with a bad back?! What a fucking cannibal is right.

An hour after I picked up the book I found myself halfway into a ride. I thought, "Wait, I wasn't planning on riding today?" I guess a few photos and that colorful font lighting up "MERCKX" was all I needed. Awesomeness, looking forward to checking it out, Mr. Fotheringham!

I tried to hunt down the photo and the nearest I could come up with was this one which sounds similar which was connected to Merckx but I think this is Jean Paul Moser who was run over and died aged 22. The Prophet dedicated his MSR win to him that year...O and reading and riding is dangerous, you should be careful!

Haven't got the book to hand to check but is this the photo?
Cary says:

Aug 20 2016 at 6:39 am

@scaler911

yes i remember that well!