The Hardmen: Legends of the Cycling Gods

by The Velominati, The Velominati

It's time we all stopped whining and learned a thing or two from The Toughest Cyclists Ever. 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.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2017

About the author

The Velominati, or Keepers of the Cog, are founder and main author Frank Strack (Seattle), Brett Kennedy (New Zealand), Gianni Andrews (Hawaii), Marko Carlson (Minnesota), and Jim Thomson (Seattle). Their site, Velominati.com, receives over two million views per month.

Reviews

[Claira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book allows you to experience the strength of last and present cyclists and how much they fight to achieve their goals, and many unknown stories of passion and determination within the sport of men and women.

[Daniel Skierka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, delightful book to read. Makes you want to go and ride your heart out.

[Eduardo Frota]

Awesome book

Always interesting know about great names of cycling with a very nice sense of humour. Sure you will want to ride.