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 *
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 |