I've set myself modest reading targets in each of the last three years and failed every time (I managed 17 books in '19, 11 in '20 and 18 in '21), so I'm determined to read twenty two books in 2022. I'll review them all here.
6/22: The World of Cycling According to G by Geraint Thomas
The blurb:
Like no other cycling book, from no other rider - Britain's cycling star shares his unique take on the world of cycling.
Sit back or saddle up as double Olympic gold medallist and multiple world champion Geraint Thomas gives you a warts and all insight into the life of a pro cyclist. Along the way he reveals cycling's clandestine codes and secret stories, tales from the peloton, the key characters like Wiggins, Hoy and Cav, the pivotal races and essential etiquette.
Geraint Thomas is treasured for treating his sport just as the rest of us see it: not a job but an escape and an adventure. He's been with Team Sky since its inception, and is one of our most successful and gifted track and road riders, but Geraint reminds us that getting on the bike still puts a smile on your face and fire in the legs like nothing else.
Funny, informative, diverting and droll, this is a joyful celebration of the world of cycling.
The review: I know what you're thinking: oh god, here it is, the point at which the wannabe cyclist and Strava enthusiast lets his hobby bleed through from his sideline bike blog to the "main" blog, and thereby bores us all with talk of chainsets, carbon frames, and KOMs. Right?
Well, not really, you'll be relieved to hear. Because although this is a book by a cyclist, about cycling, I'd argue that you need only a passing awareness of Geraint Thomas and the world of elite cycling to enjoy this book. If you've paid just enough attention to the sports pages for the last ten years to know how much success Britain has had in this field, or any of the names Wiggins, Hoy, Cavendish and Froome ring a bell with you, well, that's enough for you to get something out of this book.
Geraint Thomas, for the uninitiated, is a gold-medal winning track and road cyclist who, since writing this book, also won the Tour de France with Team Sky (the sixth British win in seven years). He's done it all, basically - and, brilliantly, he's able to convey it here, in a humourous and informative way that appeals to the Stravanauts and non-cyclists alike.
Well, I say he ... but Geraint has had some help, in the shape of sports journalist Tom Fordyce. In his acknowledgements, Geraint describes this help thus: "... obviously a huge thanks to Tom Fordyce for listening to my stories, putting them all together and dealing with all my questions."
But the fact that this book is a collaborative effort (or ghost-written, depending on your perspective) needn't put you off. The prose tone here is consistent with the version of Thomas you see in interviews, as is the humour. Fordyce has captured the man, basically. And the result is very readable.
The book is structured in chapters that look at specific aspects of cycling, namely: "Living It" (much here for the amateur); "People" (chapters on each of the big names in British cycling but also on the unsung heroes in the team); "Doing It" (the actual rides and events); "Places" (imagine a series of stadium tours if you're a football fan); "Feeling It" (handling the physical and mental impact of cycling); "The Rules" (do's and don't's for cyclists of all abilities); and "Bossing It" (what it's really like riding for the best team, in the top events). It's a great structural idea - you could almost be reading a series of (admittedly lengthy) blog posts, which makes the book very digestible, whether you know your Campagnolo from your Shimano, your soigneur from your directeur sportif, or not.
The bottom line: you'll enjoy this more if you cycle semi-seriously, but this is an enjoyable memoir for any fan of sports biographies (even if there isn't much actual biography in it).
Since everything online is rated these days: ★★★★★★ for cyclists, ★★★★☆☆ for everyone else
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