The Cyclocross Bible is a complete guide to all aspects of cyclocross, from selecting a child's first bike, through to training, technique, bike maintenance, and international racing. Included in this comprehensive guide Starting out Buying a bike and tackling your first race Technique All the key elements of cyclocross examined and explained: cornering, obstacles, run-ups, mud, sand, and much more. Equipment What to look for in a cyclocross bike and where to focus your spending, tyre types, treads and pressures, maintenance, and pit crew best-practice. Fitness Developing training strategies to improve your physical and mental fitness, and injury prevention, plus working with power data and analytics. Racing How to examine and interpret courses and conditions, choose equipment, select racing lines, and so develop winning strategies. Detailed guidance on a successful trip to race in the home of cyclocross, plus the cyclocross racer's bucket-list.

The complete book of cyclocross, Skill Training and Racing is a book about cyclocross its origins history and how to train and race. The book covers new skill training drills along with equipment selection.

Cyclo-cross is considered the bible of modern cyclo-cross racing, yet also appeals to mountain and road riders looking for an awesome winter workout and perhaps some fun off-season racing as well.

Cyclocross is no longer cycling's hidden gem. Its rapid growth in the USA and UK means this intense and dramatic sport is exploding into the mainstream. With a season running from September to February, cyclocross is cycling's only purely winter discipline, demanding a combination of athleticism, supreme technical skill and ruthless tactics for the muddy conditions. In the sport's heartland of Belgium, major races attract crowds of thousands and have a carnival atmosphere fuelled by heavy drinking, ringing cowbells and pumping airhorns. Many top riders have enthusiastic fanclubs and are national celebrities – one even had his own reality TV show. On race day, Belgian and Dutch television coverage is akin to a major football match in the UK, stretching for hours with prerace interviews, pundits and behind-the-scenes films. In Rainbows in the Mud, Paul Maunder spends a season soaking up the sport's rich culture and history, and mixing with the obsessive fans, celebrity riders, and old-fashioned patriarchs of the sport. Following the riders – novices, veterans, American, British – as they slog their way through the season, he captures the spirit of this flamboyant cult sport, and paints a picture so vibrant you can almost feel the mud under your feet and taste the beer, mulled wine and frites.

Every time you dismount from your bike you are either gaining or losing time on your competition. For instance, if you are a habitual stutter-stepper on remounts, this can cost you around one second each time you get back on your bike. If you are on a course that requires three remounts per lap and you do six laps in your race, that's 18 seconds wasted. Let's say you have similar issues on the dismount. Same math, 18 seconds lost. You are now 36 seconds behind a competitor who is equally fit, but gets on and off the bike more proficiently. Even if you have years of 'cross racing under your bibshorts, you can always make improvements to your game. What is inside this book helps show you the way. Skills, Drills and Bellyaches teaches the techniques and skills that all racers, from beginner to elite, should learn and apply to become a better cyclocross racer. It covers basics, such as what to wear and how to get back on your bike after carrying it over an obstacle, as well as more nuanced starting techniques and how to mentally prepare for your race. This book serves as a solid primer for new racers, as well as a means for experienced riders to hone their craft. If you master the skills and techniques covered here, you can go into the cyclocross season with the same fitness you had last year, yet achieve better results.

The nearly 150-year-old sport of cycling had its first competition in France in 1868. Soon afterward, the need arose for purpose-built cycling tracks because of poor road conditions at the time. Racing on blocked off pieces of street or grass soon evolvedinto racing on special tracks called velodromes. This development marked the split into what are still the two main forms of cycling competition: road racing and track racing. Initially, track cycling was more popular in terms of public attention and money to be earned by racers, but this gradually changed in favor of road racing, which has been the most popular form of cycling since at least the end of World War II. The Historical Dictionary of Cycling takes a closer look at the sport, as well asdiscussing the use of bicycles as a means of fitness, touring, and commuting. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, photos, a bibliography, and over 500 cross-referenced dictionary entries on cycling's two main disciplines—road and track—as well as brief overviews of the other forms of cycling. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about cycling.

Cyclogeography is about the bicycle in the cultural imagination and also a portrait of London as seen from the saddle. In the great tradition of the psychogeographers, Jon Day attempts to depart from the map and reclaim the streets of the city. Informed by several grinding years spent as a bicycle courier, he lifts the lid on the solitary life of the courier. Traveling the unmapped byways, shortcuts, and urban edgelands, couriers are the declining, invisible workforce of the city. The parcels they deliver keep things running. For those who survive the crushing toughness of the job, the bicycle can become what holds them together.

Whether you are a novice, a mountain-bike enthusiast, a competitive cyclist or one who rides for fitness or pleasure, this book provides all you need to know to get the best out of your bike. Beginning with the anatomy of the bicycle, it explains what to look for when buying a bike so that you get the right one for you, whether it be a folding bike, tandem, electric bike, track bike or BMX. There's plenty of information on the right kit - for women as well as men - and clear explanations to help you tackle maintenance and repair jobs with confidence. The basic principles of riding, negotiating cities and riding off-road are explained, and it also covers how to ride safely and comfortably. For all those who want to take their cycling further, there's information on competitive riding and training, and even a stunning international touring section packed full of recommended rides in breath-taking locations. Fun, inspiring, beautifully illustrated and easy to use, The Cycling Bible is the perfect companion for riders of every level, whatever they want from their bike.

Behind the Stare seeks to convey the essence of modern professional cyclocross-the players, the stories, the insights, the paradoxes, the pulse. The book focuses on the European theater, but integrates the growing American presence in international cyclocross as well. Using the riders and their ethos as a starting point, the story widens to encompass archetypal themes of character, ethics, ambition, and perseverance. Rather than a "how to" (though aspects of training and technique work themselves into the narrative), the book chronicles what it takes to reach the top of the sport by immersing readers in the lives of the sport's stars. By getting inside the stories and lives of the riders (specifically Sven Nys, Erwin Vervecken, Bart Wellens, Lars Boom, Jonathan Page, and Ryan Trebon), the story becomes universal, archetypal, and timeless. The objective is to bring the sport of cyclocross to the armchairs of American readers. With Louisville hosting the world cyclocross championships in January 2013, the timing is ripe for an insider's look. First person, present tense, episodic, and telegraphic narration along with strong storyline, literary allusion, and insight hopefully result in a very good read.

The Cyclist's Training Manual is the definitive guide to fitness for cycling, suitable for everyone from complete beginners looking to build fitness for their first charity event through to experienced cyclists looking to improve competitive performance. Starting with the basic components of fitness, this step-by-step handbook then guides you through everything you need to know to train and compete at your best, including how to organise your training, training methods, nutrition, health and how to avoid the most common cycling injuries. It also provides specialised training programmes and techniques for all cycling disciplines, such as road racing, time trials, mountain biking, sprint rides and challenge rides, as well as specific advice for novices, juniors, women and veterans. Quotes, tips and Q&A sessions from leading cyclists and team coaches are also featured.