William Fotheringham

The book the cycling world has been waiting for. A definitive account of the life of Britain's greatest cyclist -- Tom Simpson. The cyclist Tom Simpson was an Olympic medallist, world champion and the first Briton to wear the fabled yellow jersey of the Tour de France. He died a tragic early death on the barren moonscape of the Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour. Almost 35 years on, hundreds of fans still make the pilgrimage to the windswept memorial which marks the spot where he died. A man of contradictions, Simpson was one of the first cyclists to admit to using banned drugs, and was accused of fixing races, yet the dapper 'Major Tom' inspired awe and affection for the obsessive will to win which was ultimately to cost him his life. An authoritative evaluation of Simpson's death, and of the life that led to it, has been long overdue, the more so since cycling has been rocked by a succession of drug scandals. Put me Back on my Bike will revisit the places and people associated with Simpson to produce the definitive story of Britain's greatest ever cyclist.

In Search of Tom Simpson

Put Me Back on My Bike

Voted the most popular Italian sportsman of the 20th century, Fausto Angelo Coppi was the campionissimo - champion of cycling champions. The greatest cyclist of the immediate postwar years, Coppi's scandalous divorce and controversial death convulsed Italy in the 1950s and were still making headlines half a century later. In Fallen Angel, William Fotheringham, author of the definitive biography of Tom Simpson, tells Coppi's story for the first time for an English-speaking audience. Coppi was the first man to win cycling's great double, the Tour de France and Tour of Italy in the same year - and he did it twice. He achieved mythical status for his crushing solo victories, world titles and world records and universal public sympathy for his persistent ill-luck. His epic rivalry with Gino Bartali divided Italian opinion for a decade. But his significance extends far beyond his sport. Coppi's divorce remains a landmark case in Italy's shift away from the church. In the 1950s, adultery in Italy was still a criminal offence, punishable by up to a year in prison. Coppi and his lover, the 'White Lady' Giulia Occhini, both married with children, were dragged from their bed in the middle of the night and taken to jail. They were excommunicated, and a clamorous legal battle followed. The 'White Lady' was forced to emigrate to Argentina; Coppi himself died aged just forty, from malaria contracted during an insignificant race in Upper Volta. Fallen Angel tells the story of Coppi's tragic life and death, of how a man who became the symbol of a nation's rebirth after the disasters of war died reviled and heartbroken. It is a unique portrait of Italy and Italian sport at a time of tumultuous social change.

The Passion of Fausto Coppi

Fallen Angel

What makes a man the greatest of all time? Eddy Merckx is to cycling what Muhammad Ali is to boxing or Pelé to football: quite simply, the best there has ever been. Merckx was a machine. It wasn't just the number of victories (445); it was his remorseless domination that created the legend. He didn't just beat his opponents, he crushed them. But his triumphs only tell half a story that includes horrific injury, a doping controversy and tragedy. He was nicknamed 'The Cannibal' for his insatiable appetite for victory, but the moniker did scant justice to a man who was handsome, sensitive and surprisingly anxious. Britain's leading cycling writer, William Fotheringham, goes back to speak to those who were there at the time and those who knew Merckx best to find out what made Eddy Merckx so invincible.

Half Man, Half Bike

Merckx

Rod Ellingworth

Twenty years ago, British road cycling was in the doldrums: today it is at the top of the world, thanks to Bradley Wiggins's Tour de France win, Mark Cavendish's Road World title and the dominance of the British squad, Team Sky. Cycling has become that rare beast, a story of British sporting success built from the bottom up. As GB Elite Road Coach and Team Sky's Performance Manager, Rod Ellingworth is one of the chief architects behind that success. Here, for the first time, he tells the story of this amazing journey: the meteoric rise of both teams to the top of the road cycling world, and the four-year campaign that led to Mark Cavendish's historic Road World Championships title in 2011.With an introduction by Mark Cavendish.

How British Cycling Reached the Top of the World

Project Rainbow

Few British schoolchildren of the seventies can have been as obsessed with the Tour de France as William Fotheringham, who smuggled copies of Miroir du Cyclisme into lessons to read inside his books. He saw the Tour for the first time in 1984, avidly following that year's race on television in the Normandy village where he lived. Since joining the Guardian in 1989, William Fotheringham has been at the forefront of British cycling journalism. Here he reflects on the events of the last twenty-three years - the triumphs, the tragedies and the scandals that have engulfed the world's most demanding sport. Key articles from his career are annotated with notes and reflections. What would he have said if he'd known then what we all know now about Lance Armstrong? Which cyclists and teams were not all they seemed? And which victories still rank as the greatest of all time? This is the definitive collection of cycling reporting.

Racing Hard

Bernard Hinault is one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He is a five-time winner of the Tour de France and the only man to have won each of the Grand Tours on more than one occasion. Hinault is the last ‘old-school’ champion: a larger-than-life character from a working-class background, capable of winning on all terrains, in major Tours and one-day Classics. Nicknamed the ‘Badger’ for his combative style, he led a cyclists’ strike in his first Tour and instigated a legendary punch-up with demonstrators in 1982 while in the middle of a race. His battles with teammates Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond in the 1986 Tour resulted in one of the greatest races of all time. Three decades on from his retirement, Hinault remains the last French winner of the Tour de France. Here, William Fotheringham shows that while France may one day find a new champion, there will never be another Bernard Hinault.

Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling

Looks at the life of the Belgian cyclist who amassed 445 victories during his racing career.

The Life of Eddy Merckx, Cycling's Greatest Champion

The thrilling life of France's finest cyclist Bernard Hinault is one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He is a five-time winner of the Tour de France and the only man to have won each of the Grand Tours on more than one occasion. Three decades after his retirement, Hinault remains the last Frenchman to win the Tour de France and his victory in 1985 marks the turning point for a nation who had dominated the first eight decades of the race they had invented. In this biography, bestselling author William Fotheringham details how Hinault, nicknamed the "Badger" for his combative style, was the last old-school champion: a larger-than-life personality from a working-class background, capable of winning on all terrains, in major tours, and one-day classics. A full portrait of this fascinating character, The Badger also explores the reasons why France, the nation that considers itself cycling's home, has found it so hard to produce another champion.

The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling

The Badger

Eddy Merckx is to cycling what Muhammad Ali is to boxing or Pele to football: quite simply, the best there has ever been. Throughout his professional career Merckx amassed an astonishing 445 victories. This title presents his story.

Twenty years ago, British road cycling was in the doldrums: today it is at the top of the world thanks to successive Tour de France wins by Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, Mark Cavendish's road world title and the dominance of the British squad, Team Sky. Cycling has become that rare beast, a story of British sporting success built from the bottom up. 'Project Rainbow' is the story of this sport's meteoric rise, told by one of its key figures. As GB Elite Road Coach and Team Sky's Performance Manager, Rod Ellingworth is one of the most important men behind the rise of road cycling in this country.

The Tour de France is one of the world’s most fabulous and notorious sporting events and this is the book to help you celebrate it in glorious technicolour A perfect souvenir for the connoisseur and ideal apprenticeship for the newcomer – this look, learn and colour book allows you to bring to life the wonderful moments of the Tour’s history. So allons-y mes amies, get off your bike, get out your crayons and colour the Tour de France!

The Tour de France Colouring Book

When did the Mexican Wave originate? What is 33 in Bingo terminology? Who invented the first ever ‘word cross’? Where is the best place to go noodling? And just how the hell do you Bog Snorkel? In this world of highly paid professional sport, 'Fotheringham's Sporting Pastimes' is a look at a lighter side of sporting life and focuses on those sports and pastimes which have, and continue to be enjoyed, in a Corinthian spirit of cameraderie, joie de vivre and eccentricity. Included are such delights as extreme ironing, underwater hockey, pigsticking, camel racing and cheese rolling. Traditional pursuits like pub and card games are also considered. As well as invaluable statistics and information, 'Fotheringham's Sporting Pastimes' is packed with anecdotes and quotes. In short, everything the dedicated sportsman needs.

Fotheringham's Extraordinary Sporting Pastimes

How did Great Britain conquer the Tour de France? In 2012 Bradley Wiggins made history by becoming the first Briton ever to win the Tour de France. Since that moment the UK has been living through the golden era in the world's greatest bike race, with four overall titles for Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas winning for Wales in 2018, and Manxman Mark Cavendish proving the race's most prolific sprinter. In Roule Britannia, number one bestselling author William Fotheringham, charts British cycling's rise to the top and provides us with the definitive account of the nation’s Tour de France achievements through exclusive interviews with and profiles of cycling champions - from the early days of Brian Robinson to Bradley Wiggins's dominant ride via Tom Simpson, Robert Millar, Chris Boardman and many others, Roule Britannia celebrates a nation's love affair with the greatest race of all. ‘Brilliant...tells each story with passion and sensitivity’ Sunday Times

Great Britain and the Tour de France

Roule Britannia

Everything you ever wanted to know about the world of sport... And then some! William Fotheringham, sports reporter and lover of the exotic, delves into the history books to bring you myriad fascinating and humorous facts about his passion in life - all things sporting.In Fotheringham's Sporting Trivia, William Fotheringham scours the globe for the utmost trivia on every sport known to man, and few more besides. With subjects ranging from how to conduct a bullfight, badminton-playing Hollywood stars of the '30s and the holes of St Andrew's golf course to highland sports, the great home-run hitters in baseball and why the Olympic flag has five rings, Fotheringham's Sporting Trivia is a goldmine of off-the-wall information, all researched and logged into one totally compulsive piece of work.

The Greatest Sports Trivia Book Ever

Fotheringham's Sporting Trivia

Merckx - Half Man, Half Bike

Put Me Back On My Bike

Behind the Lens of the Greatest Cycling Film of All Time

Sunday in Hell

Voted the most popular Italian sportsman of the twentieth century, Fausto Angelo Coppi was the campionissimo - champion of champions. The greatest cyclist of the immediate post-war years, he was the first man to win cycling's great double, the Tour de France and Tour of Italy in the same year - and he did it twice. He achieved mythical status for his crushing solo victories, world titles and world records. But his significance extends far beyond his sport. Coppi's scandalous divorce and controversial early death convulsed a conservative, staunchly Roman Catholic Italy in the 1950s. At a time when adultery was still illegal, Coppi and his lover were dragged from their bed in the middle of the night, excommunicated and forced to face a clamorous legal battle. The ramifications of this case are still being felt today. In Fallen Angel, acclaimed cycling biographer, William Fotheringham, tells the tragic story of Coppi's life and death - of how a man who became the symbol of a nation's rebirth after the disasters of war died reviled and heartbroken. Told with insight and intelligence, this is a unique portrait of Italy and Italian sport at a time of tumultuous change.

The world of cycling is a veritable treasure trove ready to be plundered and in Cyclopedia, renowned two-wheeled aficionado, William Fotheringham, delves deep to unearth some 24-carat bike booty. This essential book is a miscellany of facts, figures, interesting snippets and quirky characters from the world of cycling. It tells you everything you could ever want to know about the bicycle from the history of the Tour de France to Chris Hoy's dominance of the Beijing Velodrome via the origins of the ubiquitous quick release system and the diet that powered Graeme Obree to the world hour record - marmalade and cornflakes. Cyclopedia has all the gear, the equipment, the races, the chases, the faces, the places, the drugs, the sex and the scandals to convert any amateur cyclist into a fully-fledged BMX bandit.

It's All about the Bike

Cyclopedia

How did Great Britain conquer the Tour de France? In 2012 Bradley Wiggins made history by becoming the first Briton ever to win the Tour de France. Since that moment the UK has been living through the golden era in the world's greatest bike race, with four overall titles for Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas winning for Wales in 2018, and Manxman Mark Cavendish proving the race's most prolific sprinter. In Roule Britannia, number one bestselling author William Fotheringham, charts British cycling's rise to the top and provides us with the definitive account of the nation's Tour de France achievements through exclusive interviews with and profiles of cycling champions - from the early days of Brian Robinson to Bradley Wiggins's dominant ride via Tom Simpson, Robert Millar, Chris Boardman and many others, Roule Britannia celebrates a nation's love affair with the greatest race of all. 'Brilliant...tells each story with passion and sensitivity' Sunday Times

William Fotheringham

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