It's time we all stopped whining and learned a thing or two from The Toughest Cyclists Ever. Including:
Stephen Roche, whose cure for exhaustion was to go up a gear and fight harder, all the way to the ambulance. Eddy Merckx, who hurt himself so badly in breaking the Hour record that, he estimated, he shortened his career by a year. Beryl Burton, who crushed her (male) rival's morale with the offer of a piece of liquorice, before speeding past to victory. Nicole Cooke and Edwig Van Hooydonck, who rejected dope and became legends.
The Hardmen tells the stories - the good bits, anyway - of the 40 most heroic Cyclists ever. Their bravery, their panache and their Perfect Amount of Dumb.
It reminds us that suffering on a bike liberates us from our daily lives, and that, in the words of Lance Armstrong "pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever"; proof that even assholes can be insightful.
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781781256138
Number of pages: 256
Weight: 187 g
Dimensions: 196 x 130 x 20 mm
Edition: Main
Fresh, often amusing, always impressive. The Velominati's relish and innocent love of the sport comes through time and time again-they just get the whole contrast between the pain and beauty of cycling that makes it so irresistible. An unharnessed, joyous celebration. - RideVelo
Full of bravery, stupidity, panache, pluckiness and nerve, each story is a reminder of a certain sense of escapism that sport can provide. But at what cost? For some, it involved shortening careers by up to a year and, for others, being wheeled away in an ambulance. Either way, helping celebrate road cycling with a unique (and, at times, painful) viewpoint, The Hardmen proves that we can learn a thing or two from some of the world's best sportsmen - Men's Health
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