Geraint Thomas, or ‘G’ as he is known in the cycling fraternity, here shares some of his favourite rides with the reader. Of course, as he is a winner of the Tour de France, these are not Sunday afternoon pedals for the family, but challenging routes for the enthusiastic amateur or aspiring professional.
And be prepared to ship your bike around the world. After a couple of settlers in his Welsh homeland, he is off to exotic locations in Italy, Spain, Monaco, Tenerife, California, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. In each location we are treated to undulating roads, steep ascents, great views, treacherous descents and, universally, a plethora of coffee shops and cafes. It seems a pro-racer’s training schedule includes obligatory coffee at the start, during, and towards the end of each route.
Well that bit sounds good to me; it is the cycling in between where I would struggle. Which is why the book makes pleasant armchair reading, imagining the ride, enjoying G’s descriptions of the terrain, landscape, and yes, the coffee. Anecdotes are told, and names such as Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish, are dropped. The odd non-cycling sporting icon gets a mention too.
G’s style is relaxed
and conversational, so reading the slim volume is as easy as the flat 2km stage
from the front gate to the newsagent’s and back.
No comments:
Post a Comment