British cycling is the best in the world. Bradley
Wiggins won the 2012 Tour de France then less than 10
days later won the time trial at the London Olympics.
Shortly after that, Britain's track team dominated the
velodrome for the second Games in a row by topping the
cycling medals table. And that was on top of Nicole
Cooke's gold in the women's 2008 Olympic road race,
which merely added to her outstanding career, in which
she had already won the women's version of the Tour de
France twice, in 2006 and 2007. These are just some of
the highlights of Britain's cycling pedigree. But this
success did not come overnight, and this fantastic new
book delves into the history of Britain's illustrious
history in the world's major cycling events and details
the path British cyclists have taken to collectively
become the world's pre-eminent cycling nation. It looks
at all the characters, from Reg Harris, a track
superstar and household name in the 1940s, and Tom
Simpson, whose exploits in the 1967 Tour de France cost
him his life, to Chris Boardman, 1992 Olympic track
champion, and Mark Cavendish, road racing's newest
sprint hero, with dozens more in between. It examines
what these exceptional athletes had to do to get to the
top of their respective events and the stories that
surrounded their success, all set against the rich
history, rivalries and culture of the races they took
part in. It examines all the cycling disciplines,
including mountain biking and BMX, where British
cyclists such as Steve Peat and Shanaze Reade have been
world champions. Featuring first hand interviews with
the leading riders from across the eras, this book is
the definitive guide to this amazing and largely untold
story.
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