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the cycling bible: the cyclist's guide to physical and mental training and bike maintenance. chris sidwells. vertebrate publishing softback. 256pp illus. £25
in the early 1980s, shortly after i purchased what turned out to be an ill-advised road bicycle, the name of which is a closely guarded secret because it was crap, i came upon a paperback copy of richard's bicycle book, an edition published in 1983. the author, richard ballantine, passed away in 2013, but has been credited as the man who made the case for asserive urban cycling prior to it becoming fashionable. he was also very well versed in all aspects of the bicycle and the life that went with it. had i read a copy of his book prior to the errant cycle purchase, not only would i not have purchased that particular brand, i'd have been a bit more choosy (and educated) about its specification.
you can still pick up second hand, well-thumbed copies of richard's bicycle book on amazon, but much of the content is now mechanically well out of date. which leaves the cycling world in something of a quandary. how would the modern-day me have survived?
well, this recently published volume by author, chris sidwells, while not necessarily designed as a replacement for mr ballantine's contributions, would be a particularly good place to begin. for, to be honest, it wasn't only the knowledge gained from mr ballantine's chapters, but the irreplaceable inspiration thrust upon a young velocipedinal acolyte who had no idea about what might lie ahead. mr sidwells, intentionally or otherwise, has stepped up to the plate.
"Cycling ... (is) an escape from the day to day, as well as a vehicle for adventure, for healthy competition, for taking on challenges, for independence, gaining confidence, discovering places and experiencing the delight of movement under your own power."
the above quote comes from the opening paragraphs of a chapter entitled 'a manifesto for cycling'. it is a preamble to the author's immediate narrative discussing the physical aspect of cycling. as he outlines in the introduction, "a large section of the book focuses on fitness...", a facet that, if memory serves, was more rarely mentioned in richard's bicycle book'. however, cycling life has changed substantially since the early 1980s, and the version of the latter publication acquired by yours truly was simply an updated account of an earlier edition. nowadays, cycle sport has a far higher profile than was the case in 1983.
it wasn't until the following year that robert millar accupied the highest placing by a brit in the annual tour de france, taking the polka dot jersey in the process. and it was the year following that before channel four began their half-hour tv reports throughout those three weeks in july. nowadays, wall-to-wall coverage, not only of the three grand tours, but even each and every european cyclocross championships, provides instant gratification, and quite likely instills a desire, if not necessarily to participate, to at least follow the fitness and nutritional paths of the pros.
if that's what floats your boat (so to speak), mr sidwells is your man.
the manifesto can be considered a gentle introduction to the remainder of the book, followed by helpful advice on buying a bike. depending on your chosen cycling genre, it might even help you decide which one would best suit your aspirations. assuming the latter choice to have been made, the author details many of the accoutrements frequently omitted at point of entry, such as shoes, helmets, bottle-cages all of which are leading towards the chapter on 'what to wear'. i can sure you that this particular chapter harbours far more importance than it did in the 1980s. should the type of cycling in which you wish to apprentice need further clarification, mr sidwells provides a short but comprehensive précis of today's 57 varieties, including even the relatively recent gravel bike.
but, as the author has already intimated, a sizeable portion of the contents are geared (pun intended) towards training yourself to become quick and adept at your chosen path. naturally, the many cycling options on offer have more than just a few commonalities. i'd imagine that, if i trained hard-enough for road cycling, i'd probably still be pretty quick at cyclocross, provided i spent more than just an hour or two on my bike handling skills (also covered by the author).
the training advice is not, however, exclusive to speed, fitness and nutrition; after all, the results have still to be applied to the bicycle. "Use lower gears to conserve energy when climbing the first few slopes of a hilly ride. Always have one extra-low gear ratio for super-steep sections of hills, or for if you unexpectedly fatigue on a long ride." for those of us who have been riding for more years than we'd care to admit, that might seem a tad obvious, but, though there are still nuggets of wisdom to be found for the long of tooth, we're scarcely the book's target audience.
as mentioned in my opening paragraphs, richard ballantine's was a book that would have not only saved me learning stuff the hard way, but some ill-afforded expense. i foretell a similar gainful employment for the bicycling bible. it may come up slightly short in the maintenance stakes, but given the complexity of the modern-day bicycle, i'd be inclined to agree that there are fewer opportunities for the home mechanic nowadays. i for one would scarcely know where to begin with electronic gear systems, and i'm still a tad reticent to get my hands dirty on hydraulic braking systems. plus, in 1983, there was only one style of bottom bracket, and the brake cables still came out the top of the levers.
worth every penny.
wednesday 10 may 2023
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