Review from
Singletrack
There are countless wool-jerseyed, Sidi-shoed, drop-bar racer types zipping around the lanes of Surrey, or Yorkshire, imagining that they're a Belgian cobbled Classics star from yesteryear. And the images in Rouleur magazine do little to play down the romantic image of the hard-working, but little known riders who make up 90% of the peleton. But what is it actually like to move to Belgium, with little more than fast legs, a bike and a phone number of a friend of a friend who might have a spare room? Joe Parkin moved from the States, fresh out of school, to Belgium to become a bike racer. And, unlike many, he stuck at it, learning Flemish and becoming (almost) accepted into the peleton on equal terms. His book is one of the most entertaining written, down to earth looks at the world of the European road scene that I've read. Nothing is glossed over as we learn about the long days of training in the rain, the euro racers' dislike of open windows and air conditioning, the fixed races, the drugs, the daily grind of having to get out there and turn the pedals.
Yet rather than being written in a 'look at me, I'm rock hard' way, it's accessible enough that you can see how it can be done – albeit only by talented and determined riders.
In conclusion...
A great read for any fans of cycling. Should be a compulsory purchase with every Rapha jersey.
Rating: No rating given