His autobiography charts the life of a seven-year-old BMX fanatic, supported by a devoted dad and his local cycling club, through paralyzing self-doubt and a major career overhaul, to the sport’s holy grail. This 32-year-old cycling fanatic from Musselburgh in the suburbs of Edinburgh defied the doubters who thought he would struggle when his specialist discipline, the 1km time trial, was dropped from the Olympics, and went on to reinvent himself as a track cycling sprinter and triple Olympic gold medalist in Beijing. His return to these shores sparked unprecedented celebrations and real admiration that here was a role model who was the epitome of all things that are good in sport. What makes a champion in sport? In his autobiography, Hoy returns to his roots as a child fully engaged with the BMX craze of the 1980s; when, even as a spotty seven-year-old his will to succeed allied to an unyielding mental strength set him apart from other youngsters of his age. A promising rower and rugby player in school, it was when he joined his first local cycling club and spent most weekends of the year competing in national events from Blackpool to Bristol that the seeds of his future career were sown.

    Documenting the history and mechanics of the machine itself, alongside a detailed analysis of the 2008 Tour De France and an exhaustive literature review, this groundbreaking new publication draws from the high-stakes fields of Cultural Studies, Gender Studies and related Humanities fields to unravel the fundamental truths about the human condition contained within cycling as a physical and metaphysical activity.'

    Best Rail Trails Pacific Northwest is the complete guide to walking, jogging, biking, and cross-country skiing  more than sixty of the best rail trails in one of the most beautiful and geographically varied reaches of America.

    Twice-winner of the Tour de France in the early eighties, Fignon became the star for a new generation. In 1989 he took part in one of the most fiercely-contested Tours of all time. Over the course of 3,285 kilometres he lost out to his American arch-rival, Greg LeMond, by an agonising eight seconds on the final Parisian time trial.In this forthright and unflinching account the former champion spares neither friends nor opponents, nor even himself. In doing so he gives cycling fans a tantalising glimpse of what really went on behind the scenes of this epic sport - the friendships, the rivalries, the betrayals, the scheming, the parties, the girls, and, of course, the performance-enhancing drugs.Laurent Fignon lived cycling at its peak. He enjoyed a truly exceptional career, winning over eighty titles from 1982 to 1993. The highs were matched by lows of serious injury, periods of self-doubt, and accusations of cheating.Fignon's story bestrides a golden age in cycling: a time when the headlines spoke of heroes, not doping, and a time when cyclists were afraid of nothing.Laurent Fignon was born in Paris in 1960. He won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984 and the Giro d'Italia in 1989. In June 2009, Fignon revealed that he was being treated for advanced intestinal cancer and he died in August 2010.

    This book showcases 25 routes in Scotland, between 6 km and 290 km in length, suitable for all levels of mountain bikers. Scotland has been named a 'Global Superstar' by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) on a number of occasions, and the variety of terrain, the locations and the jaw-dropping scenery mean it is an incredible place to ride a mountain bike. The author of this guidebook, Phil McKane, is a Scottish Mountain Bike Leaders Association (SMBLA) qualified mountain bike leader and expedition leader. Phil has over 15 years of experience in all aspects of mountain biking, from cross-country racing to epic tours. The book is illustrated with stunning action photography from MBR Magazine photographer Andy McCandlish, a name synonymous with images of mountain biking in Scotland. Each route in this guide is described with easy-to-follow directions and details of distance, grade of difficulty, refreshment stops and is plotted on clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 mapping. A Bonus Section includes the sought-after Coast-to-Coast tour from Fort William to Montrose.

    The first African-American sportsman outside boxing to become internationally famous, Taylor's life story is one of the most fascinating stories ever told about any athlete--white or black.This illustrated edition is fully updated and expanded and illustrated throughout with over 100 high-quality duotone photographs.