The Racer by David Millar

The Racer by David Millar

What is it really like to be a racer? What is it like to be swept along at 60kmh in the middle of the pack? How does it feel to be reeled in from a solo breakaway metres from the line? What happens to the body during a high-speed chute? What tactics must teams employ to win the day, the jersey, the grand tour? How does a domestique keep going to the end of a stage once his job is done and his body exhausted? How does a time-trialist maintain his form when every muscle and sinew is screaming at him to stop? What sacrifices must a cyclist make to reach the highest levels? What is it like on the bus? In the hotels? What camaraderie is built in the confines of a team? What rivalries? How does it feel to be constantly on the road, away from loved ones, tasting one more calorie-counted hotel breakfast? David Millar offers us a unique insight into the mind of a professional cyclist during his last year before retirement. Over the course of a season on the World Tour, Millar puts us in touch with the sights, smells and sounds of the sport – the barked instructions of a road captain in a sprint chain, the silence of a solo training ride. This is a book about youth and age, fresh-faced excitement and hard-earned experience. It is a love letter to cycling.

David Millar's book takes you inside the sport of cycling while also emphasising the absurdity of itIt's quite rare for a sportsman to be so immersed and yet able to detach themselves from it all ... The parts on crashing are amazing. I felt frightened and sore reading it -- Richard Moore, author of Slaying the Badger
Cycling has always been about a great deal more than its winners, and The Racer is quite a ride -- Jon Day * Spectator *
What’s it really like to be a professional bike racer? David Millar gives you an unparalleled insight -- Colin Henrys * Road Cycling UK *
A love letter to the simple pleasure of riding a bike, and a very well-written one at that -- Jamie Beach * Bike Radar *
Millar's love for what he did, and the curious world he inhabited for 18 years, shines through his prose * Scotsman *

David Millar was a professional cyclist for eighteen years, and was the first Briton to wear the leader's jerseys in the Tour de France, Vuelta a España and Giro d'Italia. He is now part of the ITV cycling commentary team and a key spokesman on anti-doping. His first book Racing Through the Dark was a bestseller and was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780224100069
ISBN 10	0224100068
Title	The Racer
Author	David Millar
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Vintage Publishing
Year published	2015-10-01
Number of pages	304
Prizes	Winner of Cross Sports Book Awards - Cycling Book of the Year 2016 (UK)
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable