Now: Sometimes the end of the race is only the beginning

by Anna Meares

Anna Meares is one of the Australia's greatest and most popular Olympians. She is the only Australian to have won individual medals at four consecutive Olympics. In 2004, she beat her sister Kerrie for a place in the Olympic team and became the first Australian female track cyclist to win gold. In 2008, she broke her neck in a track accident but still claimed silver eight months later in Beijing. In London in 2012, she dominated her arch-rival Victoria Pendletonin the women's sprint final. Anna carried the Australian flag at the Rio opening ceremony in 2016, and won her sixth Olympic medal.

And then what? Suddenly she faced new challenges, as a sportswoman whose career was over, and as an individual facing personal crises, including the death of her coach from motor neurone disease and the breakdown of her marriage. There was no playbook, no training regime ... how to cope? This was a bigger mountain than any she had previously faced.

Anna Meares now, powering on in a new career, happy in her personal life and expecting her first child, and much wiser for all she has experienced, is an inspiring figure. Her twin stories, a winner on and off the track, make for one of the most important books ever written by an elite Olympic athlete.

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2020

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. What a raw, authentic look into the life of a professional athlete, both through the successes and the lows, the triumphs and challenges. Meares is frank, relatable and feels like your friend catching up over a coffee. The book never gets too esoteric about cycling (some sports autobiographies get very detailed) but she also takes you on the ride (lol) of wins and losses. Great to see her open up about her struggles transitioning into retirement, the question marks, if she’d ever have a family, and also, normalising therapy.

[Shivani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a sporting person but I admire Anna's grit and determination, and only wish I had a sprinkle of that will power when I feel at times like giving up.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cyclng career, great to see Anna settle into life after being a top competitive cyclst.

[Joanne Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve read her first book this one repeats a lot of that. Wasn’t what I thought it was going to be about.

[Edith Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t finish reading it as I couldn’t get interested in all the training details. I usually enjoy reading auto biographies/ biographies. This didn’t suit me at this time.

[Todd Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute champion. This is such a great read. It's heartfelt and you get a great insight on what Anna had to go through to get where she has. I loved everything about this book.

[Ben Waterworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb read. Incredibly personal and revealing and a great insight into a true legend of sport. Highly recommended for any sporting fan or anyone who wants to read an insightful autobiography.

[Ann Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of a champion cyclist’s journey