The Works
La Vie Velominatus. It is the life we, as Velominati, lead. It is life as a disciple of cycling, of the greater meaning the bike holds and the lessons it teaches us. Along the path, one of our great duties is the wholesale consumption of the great Works related to our sport. From periodicals to books to films, herin lies the list of works considered to be necessary reading and viewing for any Velominatus who wishes to further understand our craft.
All works in this list have been read or viewed by The Keepers or have been recommended by one of our community members; if it is included herein, you can be certain that The Work speaks to the greater meaning of La Vie Velominatus that we pursue. Please feel free to add your own recommendations and we will make sure to update the list as we become aware of more great Works.
The Texts
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Rouleur (Periodical)
While pricey by periodical standards, Rouleur is also immaculately curated and written; the entire Rouleur project is founded on everything that makes a velominatus what we are. From guest articles by the likes of Robert Millar, to interviews with Chris Boardman on the selection of Royce hubs for his Hour Record attempt, to a two-part series on how to properly select and mount your tubular tires.
Rouleur is an absolute must-read for any Velominatus.
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Tomorrow, We Ride
Jean Bobet
Perhaps the single most inspirational work on what it means to love the bicycle, Jean Bobet takes us on a journey of life as a scholar and professional cyclist alongside his famous brother, Louison, who won the Tour de France three times. It is a book about his life as a cyclist and a passion for cycling that goes beyond careers and racing results. In some places historical, in others touching, while in others is downright funny. But mostly, it’s about a love for a cycling life.
Paperback: 179 pages, Publisher: Mousehold Press (September 3, 2008), ISBN-10: 187473951X, ISBN-13: 978-1874739517
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We Were Young and Carefree
Laurent Fignon
The late and honored Professeur writes an amazing memoir of his life as a professional cyclist. Unapologetic and brutally honest, this book takes us through the highest high and lowest lows of a career better remembered for losing the Tour by eight seconds than he is for winning it twice. The pages are lined with unforgettable anecdotes, from racing bikes alongside The Badger and Greg LeMond, to mentoring the great Gianni Bugno, to the befuddlement of the Old Guard as EPO entered the peloton in the early nineties.
Paperback: 304 pages, Publisher: Yellow Jersey Press (July 5, 2010), Language: English, ISBN-10: 0224083198, ISBN-13: 978-0224083195
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Le Metier
Michael Barry
Le Métier (the craft) is something just this side of an addiction. Barry beautifully describes the struggle and agony inherent in professional cycling; he portrays a miserable existence, saved only by the fact that these select few are permitted to make a living doing something they love, even if le métier is a far cry from what drew them to the sport in the first place.
*Synopsis by Steampunk.
Hardcover: 204 pages, Publisher: Rouleur Ltd (April 2010), Language: English, ISBN: TBD
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A Dog in a Hat
Joe Parkin
While it covers the same subject matter as Rough Ride – of a young neo-pro learning the ropes of the peloton, including the dark depths of drug use – A Dog in a Hat is an uplifting tale by a rider clearly in love with the sport and everything that comes with it. With none of the bitterness of the story of Rough Ride, Joe Parkin acquaints us with life as a professional in Belgium with grace, humor, and, above all, honesty.
Paperback: 205 pages, Publisher: VeloPress (September 1, 2008), Language: English, ISBN-10: 1934030260, ISBN-13: 978-1934030264
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The Rider
Tim Krabbe
“To say that the race is the metaphor for life is to miss the point. The race is everything. It obliterates whatever isn’t racing. Life is the metaphor for the race.”
Paperback: 160 pages, Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (June 12, 2003), Language: English, ISBN-10: 1582342903, ISBN-13: 978-1582342900
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Need for the Bike
Paul Fournel
While the cover and the pages within contain various Rule violations, the passion and attention to the little things that make a Velominatus can’t be ignored. The book consists of short passages, each discussing a different, fundamental aspect of cycling. Not about racing, this book is about passion for the sport at a recreational level.
Paperback: 150 pages, Publisher: Bison Books (September 1, 2003), Language: English, ISBN-10: 0803269099, ISBN-13: 978-0803269095
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Slaying the Badger
Richard Moore
The easy-going, trusting, and entitled personality of Greg LeMond clashed with the brash, take-what-you-can, aggressive personality of Bernard Hinault during the 1986 Tour de France, resulting in one of the greatest editions of the race. The race was fought not only on the roads of France, but through a psychological battle that was sparked not just in 1985 as is widely accepted, but the day the two met on the Renault team in the winter of 1980/1981.
Paperback: 304 pages, Publisher: Yellow Jersey Press (May 26, 2011), Language: English, ISBN-10: 9780224082907, ISBN-13: 0224082906
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Paris-Roubaix, A Journey Through Hell
Philippe Bouvet
Simply stunning is this book. If you have a soft spot for L’Enfer du Nord, you must own this. You can almost taste the mud in your teeth and feel the pain in your bones as the riders rattle over the stones. As much a great history of the race as it is visually striking. A tribute fit for the Queen.
Hardcover: 223 pages, Publisher: VeloPress (September 1, 2007), Language: English, ISBN-10: 1934030090, ISBN-13: 978-1934030097
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Intimate Portrait of the Tour De France: Masters and Slaves of the Road
Philippe Brunel
The photos in this book will draw you in, but eventually you’re bound to discover that the pages of this immaculate work are filled with reverent prose that can be read and re-read. The book covers many of the greatest legends of our sport both on and off the bike and contains some of the most recognizable photos of our sport. It appears out of print, but is still available on the second-hand market.
Paperback: 156 pages, Publisher: Buonpane Pubns, Language: English, ISBN-10: 0964983508, ISBN-13: 978-0964983502
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This what happens when you put a real writer in a following car. Robin Magowan is an excellent writer of prose and poetry and he records one Tour de France from the road, not from a press room. This is the Tour of Thevenet and Maertens, it’s the post-Merckx era. I have a copy to loan but owning this would be a wise investment. It’s excellent.
Hardcover: 203 pages, Publisher: Stanley Paul, London, (1979), Velopress 2nd edition (May 1996), Language: English, ISBN-10: 1884737137, ISBN-13: 978-1884737138
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The Death of Marco Pantani
Matt Rendell
Fans of Il Pirata may have a hard time reading this studiously researched and compelling biography of one of the legends of our sport. It paints no pretty pictures and dons no kid gloves as it chronicles Marco’s life in detail. Nor does it serve as a muckraking exposé into the rise and fall of this great athlete. Rendell’s work serves as, what The Independent aptly called, an ambivalent tribute. From his upbringing in Cesenatico, to his first races as a promising youth rider, to his storied 1998 season, to his descent into addiction and self-loathing, Rendell captures the passion, athleticism, and complexities of Pantani’s too-short life. If you’re a fan of Il Pirata who is hesitant to read this book for fear of your Pantani bubble being burst, we challenge you to read it anyway. The Keeper who wrote this review came away with an even deeper appreciation, respect, and compassion for the man in spite of having to read about some of the darkest places a Cyclist can go.
Copyright 2006, 323 pages, Phoenix Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-7538-2203-6
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Rouleur Photography Annuals
There is no more photogenic sport than cycling. A big call, yes, but one that is supported by the consistently stunning examples offered every year by Rouleur Magazine’s Photo Annual. And of course, their fine writers aren’t entirely forgotten, with typically verbose text accompanying each photographer’s contibution.
Publisher: Rouleur Ltd. ISBN: 9780956423306 Hard or Soft cover available.
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The Escape Artist
Matt Seaton
“A beautifully written book which depicts the struggle between a fulfilling home life and a satisfying bike life. Seaton manages to describe the skill, drama, speed and pain of cycle racing as well as giving the book a very personal feel.” *Synopsis by Dexter.
Pages: 192 ISBN 13: 9781841151045 ISBN 10: 1941151041
Publisher: Harper Collins Date: 2/06 2003 Sub-title of Text: Life From The Saddle
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Road Racing Technique and Training
Bernard Hinault and Claude Genzling
Many of us had our first introduction to The Craft through Greg LeMond’s Complete Book of Cycling. But where did LeMan acquire his wisdom? Possibly from The Badger himself. Bernard gives the fundamentals on how to destroy opponents as well as properly adjust the seatpost.
Beautifully translated from French, the Cyclist is frequently referred to as “the organism”. Sadly, there is no chapter on punching out French protesters who dare to block a race course.
*Synopsis by @fignon’s barber.
Paperback: 208 pages, Publisher: Vitesse Press (31 Dec 1994), Language: English, ISBN-10: 0941950131, ISBN-13: 978-0941950138
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The Films
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Road to Roubaix
Masterlink Films
This film holds an important place in every Velominatus’ Roubaix Sunday Ritual, which should include riding over the worst roads in your neighborhood, watching the race, and watching this movie.
This film is not a race video; this film is a tribute to everything that is beautiful and brutal about the Spring Classics. The incredible cinematography is paired to rider interviews so intimate, you simultaneously worship and pity these hard men. An absolute must-see for any rider who loves the classics.
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Stars and Watercarriers/The Impossible Hour
Jørgen Leth
This is a double-feature DVD containing two classics, Stars and Watercarriers and The Impossible Hour. Both narrated by the Dane Jørgen Leth, these films are an entirely unique take on this amazing sport of ours. The scenes of the riders carrying out their work and preparing for races are the stuff that inspire us to enter La Vie Velominatus. Stars and Watercarriers takes us through the Giro d’Italia where Merckx dominates the race, and The Impossible Hour covers Ole Ritter’s attempt to reclaim the Hour held by Merckx.
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La Course en Tete/The Greatest Show on Earth
Joel Santoni
La Course en Tete is perhaps the most iconic cycling film of all time; anyone wishing to better know The Cannibal is obliged to start here. Following him at the height of his career, this film reflects the man training, at the table with his family, and dominating races. No other rider compares to The Prophet, and no other film is a more suitable reflection of his career.
The Greatest Show on Earth shows us why the Giro is better than the Tour, as we follow Merckx through the ’74 edition, which he struggled to win by a mere 12 seconds.
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A Sunday in Hell
Jørgen Leth
Another classic Leth work, this film moves at a pace that dramatically contrasts the chaos of the race itself. A Sunday in Hell documents what it takes to race the hardest of the classics by following the hardest of the hardmen during the golden era of the race: Merckx, de Vlaeminck, and Marten.
Only Leth would include the scenes for the Velominatus such as the one at the neutralized zone where Merckx borrows a rival team’s spanner to adjust his saddle a trifle.
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Breaking Away
Peter Yates
This is easily one of the greatest ‘Hollywood’ films featuring cycling. Even other cyclists who may not have heard of the 1979 Oscar winner for Best Screenplay seem perplexed and unable to grasp the concept of a teen coming-of-age film featuring that rarity of Hollywood filmdom, a *gasp* cyclist.
And that’s all that Breaking Away is. It’s not a cycling film, not a fly-on-the-wall doco like A Sunday In Hell or Hell On Wheels. In fact it’s completely bereft of hell in any form. It’s heaven, sometimes on wheels, sometimes in Mike’s Buick, sometimes in the swimming hole at the old abandoned limestone quarry.
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The Flying Scotsman
Douglas Mackinnon
Graeme Obree holds a hallowed place in cycling, this film puts into sharp relief what kind of personality it takes to turn the entire world of cycling on it’s head and claim one of the most honored and difficult records in our sport.
This film is based on Obree’s autobiography. Unlike most other films made from books; Obree himself was involved in this project and even built a replica of his the bike he had built to carry his inventive aerodynamic position. This tale is tragic and triumphant all at once. It also demonstrates that Scottish is basically it’s own language; American’s will need to pour themselves an ale in order to have any hope of understanding the dialog.
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Overcoming (2005)
Directed by Tomas Gislason
“Unlike the recent HTC-Columbia feature-length advert, Overcoming truly gives the feeling of life in a Pro Team. It’s also the only film (of a genre) where the extras are as good as the movie, and it only serves to make us love Jens even more (if that were possible!).”
*(Synopsis by Jake Scott)
Score of the week, found The Flying Scottsman DVD for $2.50!
My other post this morning made me remember to give a quick impression of “Slaying the Badger” which I finished a while ago. First off, right up front, I have to say that I am a HUGE LeMan fan. The guy, to me, is hands down, the greatest American cyclist ever, end of story. And that being said I thought that the book would be a Lemond-sided novel. What really surprised me, at least from how I read it, was that it was NOT all one-sided just for LeMan.
The more I read, the more I began to realize that maybe LeMan was a bit paranoid and not the nicest guy ever and he had a bit of a whiny side and maybe Hinault was not pure evil incarnate. Although, to be honest, I never really thought that about him but I had always thought that he had been really unfair to LeMan. This book made me have some serious doubts about that persepctive.
The author did a great job and the novel is a really intetesting read and it is not just a LeMan lovefest. Definitely so worth the read.
@Buck Rogers
I’m midway through “We were young and carefree” at the moment and Fignon also gives the impression that there was quite a likeable human side to the Badger especially when he was with team mates that he trusted and didn’t see as trying to usurp him.
@Chris
Exactly! I reaaally liked that book as well. And, obviously, we know how Fignon felt about LeMan. I would not say that he hated him by any means, but not a lot of love lost on him either. That is such a great read.
If you like that period of cycling, “Slaying the Badger” will have to be your next read. For me, it’s my personal “Golden Age” of cycling when I first discovered it as a sport and started riding and racing myself.
Started “Slaying the Badger” last week after finishing Graeme Obree’s book. Obree’s book isn’t particularly well written, but a fascinating story none the less.
@Buck Rogers
Next up is “Team on the Run: The Inside Story of the Linda McCartney Pro Cycling Team”.
I’m going to save the Badger and Fotheringham’s new Merckx book for my summer holidays – two weeks within riding distance of the Pyrénées.
@Chris
Ha, great name for a book! I had not heard of it, you’ll have to let me know how it is.
On a side note, I saw Sir Paul about ten years ago in concert, and even then, he was amazing.
And as for your holidays, whew, sounds perfect!
Holy CRAP what a great day!!! Mail came and there was a black plastic’d magazine with “fragile” (must be Italian?) written on it. Opened it up and it was the latest issue of Rouleur!!! I was totally psyched and went running to my VMH and asked her about it. She says, “oh yeah, completely forgot. I ordered it for your birthday two months ago and forgot to tell you.” how awesome is that?!?!? Anyways, just HAD to share!
@Buck Rogers
Nice surprise! I bought my wife a subscription to Peloton, she wasn’t nearly as happy as you.
@Buck Rogers
I missed the rest after the Christmas Story crack…made my day!
@Buck Rogers
Welcome to the club, Buck!
New Works item added: Intimate Portrait of the Tour De France: Masters and Slaves of the Road – thanks to @Scaler911 for the recommendation and especially for generously making a gift of it to me!
Just finished We Were Young and Carefree by Laurent Fignon… gotta say I found it hard to read. To me, Fignon comes off as the kind of athlete I hate. When things go wrong it was because of someone else. When things went right it was because Fignon did it all. That said, the stories of riding with the Badger at the beginning were pretty darn good as well as Fignon’s comments about how the older riders “prepared” for a race. I find it very hard to believe that Fignon did not “prepare” for many races in a similar manner, although in the book he implies, without overtly saying that some races were won while juiced and others weren’t. Anyone else read this book recently?
@Buck Rogers
Congrats! Great magazine- enjoy!
Who is the wookie in the Swiss Federation jersey in this pic?
Looks like a young me!
Bike wookie!
Thanks all!!! Man, feels like going to church when I read it. So amazing!!!
@frank
I’m guessing you’ve had some time to peruse it then? I kinda thought some stuff was “lost in translation” but the stories of the off the bike things were as interesting as the trails of everyday racing.
A new book on Eddy Merckx by Daniel Friebe suggest that Merckx suffered from a similar condition to the one that caused the footballer Fabrice Muamba to have a heart attack on Saturday and that his team knew about the condition but allowed him to carry on racing.
It’ll be interesting to see if Will Fotheringham’s book covers the incident.
Anybody seen this?: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286244/
Looks cool.
@Marko
Saw it some time last year. It’s got some crazy anamation. Worth watching once.
Calling all Velominati with deep pockets…this is a project worthy of some donation.
Project for a Documentary on Jorgen Leth
A group of cycling fans who happen to be film makers are looking to raise funds to make a documentary following Jorgen Leth during Paris-Roubaix to give a look at what goes in to the day for him as well as getting insights on the race itself. They’re looking to raise $27k to cover their costs of heading to France to pull the project off & are about $12k short with a day and a bit to go…
@Marko
You came to mind first (really) ?? A great story of a man hammering, attacking, right up to the line chasing Victory — and wins !! Watched (again with my 15 year old son) the movie based on Chris Gardner — The Pursuit of Happ(y)ness. A “hard” man with deep merit. Inspiring to know this struggle existed. And the kid wins out too !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPEdwaLQLag&feature=related
Chris Gardner — “Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. All right? You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.”
Eddy Merckx Cycles has provided a source on the tribute book 525. Other great books available here.
http://www.uitgeverijkannibaal.be/english.html
Kids in bed, phone off the hook. I’m reading this.
@Marko
Very cool. Worth a look.
What are the thoughts on ‘Racing through the Dark’? Picked it up yesterday & will get started this evening.
@Mikael Liddy
As this got no replies I’ll follow up with some thoughts…though he definitely leaves a few things feeling like there was a touch more to the story (possibly editor’s touch), overall this was a cracking read and a very open look in to what it was like getting in to the peloton towards the end of the supercharged years.
“Triplets of Belleville” doesn’t make this list?
The VMH brought home Greg LeMan’s Complete Book of Bicycling from her uni library the other day(ha, I found it on the library site & can just have it sent to her individual library using her student log-in, not bad!)
I said, “Oh, Greg LeMan’s book of cycling!” when she set it down. “Lemond.” LeMan, I corrected. She rolled her eyes & told me it didn’t count as research towards my degree.
This is cool:
http://onasixpence.bigcartel.com/product/tour-de-france-le-tour-des-merveilles
@eightzero
And good example of typography. Plan to research this design further.
@Steampunk
I’m also reading this. Good so far.
@motor city
Let me know how it is overall. I have not heard of it but am now interested.
Very moving video that I thought fit best here in the works. Made me want to go for a ride…
@Buck Rogers
Its not available in the states yet, but its the first Merckx biography written in English – and by none other than my boy William Fotheringham.
In fact, it was an incredibly kind gesture from @Chris to have procured a copy for me and even gotten an inscription for it from William himself, and gave it to me at Keepers Tour. So awesome! I promised myself i would finish Sex, Lies, and Handlebar tape before starting on it, so I’m basically speed-reading through Master Jaques’ life in an effort to get to it sooner!
@frank,@Buck
Just successfully ordered it through amazon.co.uk
@LA Dave
… with my son.
Thanks for sharing it, really worth watching.
@frank
Another one to put on the wish list. How is the “Sex, Lies …” book? I have thought of reading it but not sure how “readable” it is?
@LA Dave
That was pretty powerful. I agree with @Buck Rogers; I need to go ride with my sons.
@frank
Great gift, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
You probably know this already, but William Fotheringham writes regularly for the Guardian (uk newspaper) http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/williamfotheringham The cycling coverage is usually pretty good for a newspaper
@frank
I read this on Kindle just after it was released. Very good, but I was left wanting… well, more. It was a good biography, but I wanted more of Merckx in context. A tall order, perhaps””but maybe not if you deign to write about the Prophet””but I wanted to feel his bobbing on the tops as he rode away from everyone up each hill. And I wanted to know what made the Cannibal tick. I don’t think it delivered on those counts.
Just finished reading this:
John Foot’s Pedalare! Pedalare! A History of Italian Cycling traces, well, what the subtitle indicates. There’s a lot to like about the book, but it’s also very frustrating and a bit disappointing. First, this is a wonderful overview of the Italian fascination with cycling, and pro racing. If you’re familiar with the greats””Binda, Bottecchia, Bartali, Coppi, Gimondi, et al.””this book provides nice biographical detail of their lives and careers. Foot delves into the various myths surrounding the great events and rivalries of Italian cycling, concentrating primarily (but not exclusively) on the Giro.
Foot is at his best when he suggests the importance of cycling to Italian nationalism and nostalgia in the twentieth century. He links cycling to the nation’s birth and re-emergence after World War II in effective and compelling ways. And he makes some interesting points about the decline of Italian cycling and how the contemporary Giro has, in many respects, become a vehicle for reminiscing about the Golden Era of the 1940s and 1950s. It’s an intriguing and compelling argument. He links the early heroes to poor and frequently rural families and upbringings, and dissociates this commoner appeal from the more modern era. He takes a weak stab at doping towards the end of the book (there’s a vaguely sympathetic chapter devoted to Pantani and more on Ferrari, Conconi, et al.). But it lacks substance. Or, won’t tell you anything you didn’t already know. But you do get a feel for Italy and Italian racing. The endless shrines and museums. A country where you can really appreciate the aesthetics of our sport.
But the book is repetitive and suffers from poor organization. We keep looping back to various points that diminish the narrative. And Foot ultimately doesn’t seem sure what kind of a book he’s supposed to be writing. He’s an academic historian, and seems most comfortable and interesting when trying to tie cycling to a larger swath of Italian social and cultural history. And he makes a valiant attempt at explaining the various “myths” and iconic stories of Italian racing. But his biographical chapters often get lost in less interesting accounts which lose their way a bit.
More minor issues. The book starts with the first Giro in 1909, while Italians had been following bike racing for more than 20 years already. I’ll give him a pass on the grounds that Foot is following the Giro as a method of uncovering Italian history. More importantly, though, there’s nary a mention of bikes, really. Bianchi and Colnago are invoked (Cinelli only in the conclusion), but there is little discussion of bikes and bike-building, which seems odd, especially when talking about Italy as a cycling nation. Too, I don’t think Campagnolo received a single mention. While certain eponymous contributors here might turn me off the gruppo in perpetuity, how do you talk about Italian cycling without any reference to Tulio?
In sum, if you love cycling, you definitely have to give this a read. I’m already listing the climbs, towns, and shrines I have to visit on my next trip to Italy. It’s a plus for me, but this book is about more than just cycling; there’s a rich history of Italy in the subtext, which I think enhances the story he’s telling.
While I’m here. Also this.
@Steampunk
How A Bicycle Is Made, that this was great.
@Steampunk
I love cycling — love cycling, and will give this one a read.
Interested in the book recommendation.@Steampunk
WIll order it soon.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/20/pedalare-italian-cycling-foot-review
In the Shadow of Merckx (article) about the racing career of Frans Verbeek courtesy of Cycle Sport Magazine.
@Steampunk
Just bought the Kindle ed. Will dig in tonight.
@itburns
Finally was able to start it. It’s absolutely cracking!
Its funny, though, the UK edition has all the quotes swapped out. I bet that’s the principle change between the US and UK editions is they swap all the single quotes for doubles.