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.
Racecar driver Earnhardt was at the top of his game—until a minor crash resulted in a concussion that would eventually end his 18-year career. In his only authorized book, Dale shares the inside track on his life and work, reflects on NASCAR, the loss of his dad, and his future as a broadcaster, businessperson, and family man. It was a seemingly minor crash at Michigan International Speedway in June 2016 that ended the day early for NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. What he didn’t know was that it would also end his driving for the year. He’d dealt with concussions before, but no two are the same. Recovery can be brutal, and lengthy. When Dale retired from professional stock car racing in 2017, he walked away from his career as a healthy man. But for years, he had worried that the worsening effects of multiple racing-related concussions would end not only his time on the track but his ability to live a full and happy life. Torn between a race-at-all-costs culture and the fear that something was terribly wrong, Earnhardt tried to pretend that everything was fine, but the private notes about his escalating symptoms that he kept on his phone reveal a vicious cycle: suffering injuries on Sunday, struggling through the week, then recovering in time to race again the following weekend. In this candid reflection, Earnhardt opens up for the first time about: The physical and emotional struggles he faced as he fought to close out his career on his own terms His frustration with the slow recovery from multiple racing-related concussions His admiration for the woman who stood by him through it all His determination to share his own experience so that others don’t have to suffer in silence Steering his way to the final checkered flag of his storied career proved to be the most challenging race and most rewarding finish of his life.
His description of a systematic, detailed training program for beginners and top-runners is based on a clear defined conception of fitness. Beside detailed schedules for the training, the book includes tips concerning equipment and outfit, nutrition, prevention of injury, therapy and the relationship between the coach and the athlete. Furthermore ......
In this memoir, Michael Clements recounts growing up in the early days of stock car racing. From 1957 through 1965, his father, Louie, travelled the NASCAR circuit, bringing his wife and five children along to every race. Owner and crew chief for champion driver Rex White, Louie introduced many mechanical innovations still used in NASCAR today, and his children grew up on the road between races, befriending many racing legends along the way. Clements' memoir is full of stories about NASCAR's early era and the men and women who built the sport. It includes a wealth of never-before-seen photographs from his personal collection.
The history of the racing yacht Chessie, the first ever entry from the Chesapeake Bay in the famous Whitbread Round the World Race. This book records the history of the racing yacht Chessie, the first ever entry from the Chesapeake Bay in the famous Whitbread Round the World Race. Skippered by Baltimore businessman George Collins and named after the Chesapeake's equivalent to the Loch Ness monster, Chessie became a focal point of regional and national pride when she competed in 1997-98. That year was also the first time that Baltimore and Annapolis were included as a combined stopover in the nine-leg, 31,600-mile race, beginning and ending in Southampton, England. After a neck-and-neck race up the bay against famed skipper Dennis Connor, Chessie entered Baltimore's Inner Harbor greeted by the cheers of thousands of fans. During the stopover, over a half-million visitors came to the Whitbread Race Village in Baltimore and an additional sixty thousand toured the Race Village in Annapolis, giving Baltimore-Annapolis the highest attendance of any of the nine ports visited by the race. While racing, the boat also served an educational purpose through a two-part curriculum developed by the Living Classrooms Foundation, a Baltimore nonprofit educational organization for at-risk children. Children from five hundred schools in twenty states and seven foreign countries participated through the Whitbread Education Project, a curriculum package augmented by an Internet component, the Chessie Chase, which explored academic subjects such as math, science, social studies, geography, and literature and tackled such practical issues as vessel design, ocean currents, changing weather, and the principles of navigation. Classes competed in a virtual race against each other in the multifaceted program for a chance to visit Chessie and meet her crew when she reached Baltimore. The children also exchanged e-mails with Chessie's crew throughout the race. When President Clinton and Vice President Gore visited the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, students helped them write an e-mail to the boat saying, "Have a great race." This book contains chapters on the race, boat construction, crew selection, and the Living Classrooms Foundation Whitbread Education Project. Personal experiences and memories of the crew bring the sailing adventure to life and reveal the educational purpose of the boat. Sidebars feature useful charts and information, special observations, and a few human-interest e-mail exchanges between individuals and the crew. A large Mercator-projection map marks the race course and individual legs. Numerous photos document racing action as well as the hoopla on shore.
Ask any serious runner and they’ll tell you that being mentally sound is vital to success in the sport. The ability to enter a flow state of mind is something that Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has devoted his entire career to understanding. In Running Flow, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi is joined by fellow psychologist Christine Weinkauff and running journalist and coach Philip Latter. This landmark work is the first book dedicated to helping runners achieve the state of flow in competitive and training environments. You’ll find comprehensive coverage of the phenomenon, unique practice exercises that stimulate its occurrence, and firsthand accounts from elite runners about their flow experiences. The psychological barriers associated with training and competition can be as demanding as the physical ones. Destined to become a running classic, Running Flow will open your mind not only to better performance but also to a better, healthier, and more enjoyable experience.
Trail and Mountain Running is a practical guide for runners designed to help those who are already running off road and wanting to improve their performance, to try longer or rougher terrain with confidence, and those who simply want to venture from roads onto trails and mountain paths for the first time. Divided into three sections, the book covers: Training fundamentals - giving you all the knowledge you need to run off road in terms of training programme, looking after your body, kit and equipment and staying safe in the environment. Racing - providing more detailed advice about what to do pre, during and post race to maximize performance. Optimizing performance - more advanced information on training and racing, and supplementary areas such as altitude training, which can help performance. Throughout the book advice is given relative to four 'typical races' of different lengths and terrain; all of which is interspersed by real life anecdotes and stories from the authors. A practical guide that provides information tailored to all levels of runners who want to both enjoy running off road as well as get better at it. Superbly illustrated with 70 colour photographs. Both Sarah Rowell and Wendy Dodds are highly experienced and successful athletes.
Whisht Daddy is a thrilling novel blending all the excitement and pageantry of the Sport of Kings against the back drop of the Irish War of Independence. A race horse for the ages with the unusual name of Whisht Daddy is secretly owned, raised and trained by Frank Walsh and his young son Mickey. Circumventing laws against ownership of property and businesses by the Irish citizenry, Frank and Mickey take the horse racing world by storm but are met by strong resistance from the ruling English aristocracy. While all of Ireland is consumed by the bitter war pitting the Irish Republican Army against British forces and the brutal Black and Tan Auxiliary, Whisht Daddy rises to become the great challenger to War Lord, a tremendous thoroughbred owned by the powerful and influential Lord Montgomery. The violence of the times and an illicit love affair bring tragedy to Frank Walshs door but young Mickey escapes with his beloved Whisht Daddy and they continue their quest for Irish racing supremacy. Fraught with danger, intrigue and suspense, Whisht Daddy is the story of a boy and his horse, a man and his country, and the ultimate struggle of good to champion over the many forces of evil. Come and take a furious ride down the backstretch of Irish history with our endearing champions, Mick Walsh and Whisht Daddy.
Team Spirit is a gripping account of a race on the edge, and a young skipper's determined journey to victory. The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is the ultimate long distance challenge - a 35,000-mile circumnavigation of the globe, contested by amateur crews in identical racing yachts - and the winners are those who keep their focus the longest. The 2010 winner was 28-year-old Brendan Hall and his crew in Spirit of Australia. Although Brendan was the youngest and least experienced skipper in the race, the win was no accident - it was the culmination of years of training, skilled navigation and a leadership style way beyond his years.
