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A Century Of Cycling, William Fotheringham (2003)
Mitchell Beazley 1 84000 816 4 Quarto 175pp £20
A coffee-table-sized book containing a good history of the major
races in professional road cycling
 
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Photo-rich tomes of this size frequently deliver little in elucidation.
Indeed, this has the appearance of precisely that kind of volume that
one is presented with as a gift by a non-cycling family member who has
‘spotted it in a bookshop’.
Happily, however, Fotheringham is a high-quality journalist (he writes
for The Guardian) who has covered the world of cycle racing for more than
a decade. As a result there is something in this book for all but the
most obsessive cycle racing enthusiast. The book is divided into nine
chapters with one each on the major tours, and the rest on the classic
one-day races, such as Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Each chapter covers the history of the race, the most notable contests
and is illustrated with a map of a recent course. Throughout the text
there are single page profiles of 37 of the greatest cyclists, from Coppi
to Lance Armstrong. The book ends with a useful list of all the winners
of all the races covered in the book.
My edition is now five years out of date, and may well have come from
some kind of discounter. Nonetheless, it is a great companion to the cycling
year – one to be got out on the morning of each race to contextualise
and deepen your viewing pleasure.
PS Dec 08
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