Showing posts with label bicycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bicycle. Show all posts

John Wilcockson's World of Cycling Review

John Wilcockson's World of Cycling
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John Wilcockson's World of Cycling ReviewReview of "John Wilcockson's World of Cycling" from Boulder Planet, Colorado
by Rob Coppolillo
Thirty Tours de France sounds like a long career in cycling, but Boulderite and world-renowned journalist John Wilcockson finds his best form in his sixth and latest book, John Wilcockson's World of Cycling. On the verge of another hectic season of travel and race coverage, the prolific writer will cover his thirtieth Tour this summer and has reported on every major road cycling event, mountain biking and track racing in a career dating from the mid-Sixties. The English-born Wilcockson was a successful amateur cyclist as a young man, then found a comfortable career in civil engineering. When he chose to pursue a life covering bike racing, he says, "My family was shocked, they thought I was crazy! I had prospects of a good career in engineering, but I can't say I've had a dull day in 30 years." Whatever prospects he left in engineering, he has seems to have equaled in his writing. He has covered cycling for the London Times, the Sunday Times in London, Winning, several other English publications and now co-owns a magazine based in Boulder, VeloNews. Sports journalism, as a genre, sometimes conceals the extent of a writer's quality. With deadlines, space constraints and a narrower audience, the final product loses a measure of breadth. Wilcockson's World of Cycling will surprise his fans expecting mere reportage. The work is as much travel writing as journalism, showcasing the depth of Wilcockson's talent and his keen eye for detail. "I'm a travel buff in many ways...I walk around places to see more than meets the eye. That's one of the fun things about cycling, it's not a stadium sport. The geography, the climate, these guys are racing in the elements," he explains. Early in the book, in a charming description of the 1969 Tour of Sardinia, we are treated to the particulars of the bicycle race, but the event doesn't end at the finish line. As Wilcockson departs the island on a ferry, he recalls, "...a black-clad mamma...was arguing-as only Italians can...Then the scene rapidly became quiet, dark and deserted...the final zephyr blowing the dockside clean, sending an odd newspaper and dust swirling into the cold, black water." World of Cycling covers nearly every facet of bicycle racing, from the Olympic road race, to the Tour de France, a six-day track event and mountain bike world championships. Loyal Wilcockson readers will devour his authoritative race accounts, as usual, but discover widely expanded coverage. Any cycling fan remembers five-time Tour de France champion, Spaniard Miguel Indurain falling apart in 1996 Tour and it's here, only more of it, clearly chronicled kilometer by kilometer! Racers will also find lesser-known stories like Robert Millar's heart-breaking defeat in the 1985 Tour of Spain. The Scotsman Millar lost not because he faltered physically, but through the reproachable collusion of the Spanish teams in the race. No other English speaking journalist, and few in Europe, can capture and explain the subtlety and nuance of a bike race like Wilcockson. World of Cycling preserves the excitement, but adds details that might not otherwise escape the editor's cut of a race report. "I think for most journalists writing about cycling, it's a job, not a passion," he alleges. "It's more like writing about football or baseball in this country." His awareness of the nearly unseen forces at play in a race reveals Wilcockson's knowledge and love of the sport. In "Home is Our Hero," an account of the 1985 Nissan International Cycling Classic in Ireland, Wilcockson poetically describes the victory of native Sean Kelly, transporting readers to the lush, rural countryside, "The break's lead mounted...to 90 seconds at pretty Clonegall, where a farmer with a small white dog tucked inside his jacket were among the spectators watching the racers pour over a stone, hump-backed bridge spanning a fast-flowing salmon stream." There is no more respected cycling journalist working today, and with John Wilcockson's World of Cycling, Wilcockson leaves the realm of mere sport to script his name alongside the best adventure travel writers of our time like Theroux, Cahill and Krakauer. His unequaled descriptions of bicycle racing, coupled with his acute sense of place and sharp eye, make this a captivating read for not only cycling fans, but travelers, armchair adventurers and sports fans alike.John Wilcockson's World of Cycling OverviewJohn Wilcockson hasn't missed a Tour de France or other major bicycle race since 1968. This round-the-world excursion to the most challenging cycling events brings together more than 20 of his favorite stories, including the dramatic victories of Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong.

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Campagnolo: 75 Years of Cycling Passion Review

Campagnolo: 75 Years of Cycling Passion
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Campagnolo: 75 Years of Cycling Passion ReviewIn conjunction with the manufacturers' 75th Anniversary, Velo Press recently released the book Campagnolo: 75 Years of Cycling Passion. Whether you are a member of the Campy cult, a user of their components or a fan of cycling history, this book is worth a read.
Written by long time Italian cycling journalists Paolo Facchinetti and Guido P. Rubino, the book starts with the birth of the bicycle itself and its growing popularity in Europe, but quickly moves to the fateful Fall 1927 day on the Croce d'Aune when a young racer named Tullio Campagnolo struggled to change the gearing on his racing bike with nearly frozen hands. Out of his frustration came first the quick release axles that we all use today, and eventually, a gear changer that allowed a racer to change gears without dismounting the bike.
Tullio Campagnolo grew up poor, but was fortunate to grow up in a home where he had access to files, pliers, anvils, vise grips and hammers, as well as a small blacksmith forge. It was there that he learned the skills that would serve him in prototyping, building and improving bicycle components.
The first quick release appeared in 1930, and Campagnolo filed the first of his 185 patents for a system he called "gearing for cycling." He attended as many races as he could, showing his quick release and gearing system to racers and mechanics alike and listening, improving and promoting some more.
Along the way, Campagnolo saw his components used by such racing greats as Vito Ortelli, Toni Bevilacqua, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Fiorenzo Magni, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Greg Lemond, Laurent Fignon, Miguel Indurain, Marco Pantani, Paolo Bettini and Danilo Di Luca, and the Campagnolo name became synonymous with cycling.
The early beginnings and Campagnolo's passion for cycling and for continuous improvement lead us to where we are 75 year later, with the introduction of the new 11-speed Super Record group.
Some Campagnolo cultists have said that there are some notable omissions in this book, but I still found it very entertaining and educational. The illustrations and photography are top notch as well.
If you love cycling, this book should have a place in your library.
For this review and other cycling news, visit [...]Campagnolo: 75 Years of Cycling Passion Overview

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Major Taylor: The Extraordinary Career of a Champion Bicycle Racer Review

Major Taylor: The Extraordinary Career of a Champion Bicycle Racer
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Major Taylor: The Extraordinary Career of a Champion Bicycle Racer ReviewThis book was originally published by Bicycle Books in San Francisco. I would hope that it would still be available, even though 5 years ago hardback copies were selling at chain bookstores for as little as $4 a copy. The Ritchie book is written not just from the perspective of bicycling history (although it is well-researched from that point of view), but as an important social history. In addition, it reminds us of the history of the development of transportation and how bicycles were eventually pushed out of the public vision of having right-of-way to being relegated to the closed track of the velodrome so they wouldn't get in the way of the growing automobile culture. Major Taylor's career is important in the history of racism and attempted and often effective exclusion of Blacks not just from racing opportunities, but from the subsequent business opportunities that followed on the heels of the age of the turn-of-the-century racers. The largest reason that Major Taylor died a pauper was because he was not allowed to participate on an equal level with White businessmen in the developing automobile industry, according to Ritchie's research. Turn of the century bicycle racers, as Ritchie points out, were instrumental in contributing to the design of the shock system and the use of pneumatic tires, among other features, of the emerging American automobile. They also were some of the large investors in the industry upon their retirement from active racing status. Taylor wanted to participate in the design process and applied to a university for formal education in engineering, but was denied access, despite his hard-won efforts, previous inventions in bicycle design and testing, and celebrity status. The fact that the man died early of a stroke and alienated from his family and community in the end can only speak of a man who, after putting out his entire life, had finally been broken by the pressure of living in a racist society. Yet, writing his autobiography and selling it door to door evokes the phoenix-like quality of many members of the Black community who survive and thrive in spite of great hardship, even in our present times.Major Taylor: The Extraordinary Career of a Champion Bicycle Racer Overview

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The Story of the Giro d'Italia: A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Volume 1: 1909-1970 Review

The Story of the Giro d'Italia: A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Volume 1: 1909-1970
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The Story of the Giro d'Italia: A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Volume 1: 1909-1970 ReviewFirst a confession: I begged for this book. I pleaded with Bill to write this rather than another book about the Tour de France. He ignored me. When his enjoyable TdF books were completed he and Carol turned their attention to my beloved Giro d'Italia...finally. I think this is a better book as a result. Biased? No argument, the Giro's been my favorite subject for years and all the things Bill and Carol learned while writing The Story of the Tour de France they put to good use with this new book. I can say I've read most everything in English ever written about this race as well as some of the Italian-language works (and own more of these than I'll ever be able to read!)and Bill and Carol's addition is much-needed and enjoyable reading for tifosi (and would-be fans) of La Corsa Rosa. If you enjoyed their TdF books, I think you'll really enjoy their enthusiastic recounting of the Giro d'Italia history though 1970, I can't wait to read the second volume!The Story of the Giro d'Italia: A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Volume 1: 1909-1970 OverviewThe Giro d'Italia is one of the world's most important and popular bicycle races, yet there is almost no information in English about this magical Italian race's rich past. With 'The Story of the Giro d'Italia", the fabulous history of Italy's national tour is at last available. Volume One takes the story of the Giro from its origin as a desperate promotional gamble by a nearly broke newspaper to Eddy Merckx's convincing 1970 victory.

Volume 1 of 'The Story of the Giro d'Italia" tells of Italy's most celebrated riders: Costante Girardengo, the first campionissimo, or 'Champion of Champions"; Alfredo Binda, who so dominated the Giro that one year he was paid by the organizers not to enter; Gino Bartali, who looked to become the dominating rider of his era; and Fausto Coppi, a fascinating personality and Bartali's great rival, who became not only Italy's, but the world's finest rider.

The great rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali is known to many cycling fans, mostly because of their adventures in the Tour de France. But for much of bike racing's history, the Alps have been a high wall, and Italian sponsors preferred to keep their racers at home where they could earn valuable publicity. Because of this, there is a whole world of great athletes who are virtually unknown to the non-Italian cycling fan. How about Giovanni Valetti? In 1939 Valetti beat Bartali when Gino was at the very peak of his powers. Has anyone heard of Giuseppe Enrici, the Giro winner who was born in Pittsburgh? Alfonsina Strada was the only woman who entered (and unofficially finished) a Grand Tour. And there was Giordano Cottur, who won a Giro stage in Trieste while guns blazed.

Clearly, this is a story that has to be told, and it's all there in 'The Story of the Giro d'Italia".
'Bill and Carol McGann had set a high standard with their compelling and authoritative ‘Story of the Tour de France', and now they follow up with Le Tour's inspired Italian offspring in ‘The Story of the Giro d'Italia'. In this Volume I covering the Giro's debut in 1909 through 1970, this work of patient research, passionate writing, and insightful analysis lays out the struggles, battles, and rivalries in detail and sweep that have made Italy's grand tour endure. And the American audience can read about Joseph Magnani―a native of LaSalle, Illinois―who rode in the 1946 Giro on the Olmo team and quietly made history as the first U.S. rider to compete in one of the grand tours in the era of dusty roads against Italy's heroes Bartali and Coppi". -Peter Joffre Nye, author of 'The Six-Day Bicycle Races: America's Jazz Age Sport" and 'Hearts of Lions" and trustee of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame
Volume Two of 'The Story of the Giro d'Italia", which will take the story from 1971 through 2011, is scheduled to be published in early 2012.

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