Product Description

"The Hour". It's the only cycling record that matters: one man and his bike against the clock in a quest for pure speed. No teammates, no rivals, no tactics, no gears, no brakes. Just one simple question - in sixty minutes, how far can you go? Michael Hutchinson had a plan. He was going to add his name to the list of record-holders - riders like Coppi, Merckx, Anquetil, Boardman, the supermen who've made the Hour the domain of cycling's greatest stars. It didn't sound too hard. All he needed was a couple of hand-tooled bike frames, the most expensive wheels money could buy, a support team of crack professionals, a small pot of glue, and a credit card wired to someone else's bank account. Still, getting the glue wasn't a problem. "The Hour" is the story of how a man who became a professional athlete by accident embarked on a quest for sporting immortality. But it's also the story of an extraordinary record, and the riders who have made it so - from Graham Obree, the genius who built his own bike using parts from a washing machine, to Jacques Anquetil, great champion, great drug-taker and great family man (having had a child by his step-daughter, he married his step-son's ex-wife). Gripping, packed with fascinating stories and very, very funny, "The Hour" is what happens when a man from the secret, early-morning world of British bike racing takes a shot at stardom.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121199 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 340 pages

The Saturday Telegraph. Rev by Toby Clements.
`constantly absorbing...frequently very funny'

From the Publisher
Wonderful new addition to the Yellow Jersey cycling list, the story of the only cycling record that matters.

About the Author
Michael Hutchinson became a full-time cyclist in 2000 after becoming disillusioned with an academic career. Over the following six years he has won more than twenty national titles, and the gold medal in the Masters' Pursuit World Championships. He is now a writer and journalist (and cyclist) and lives in south London.

Customer Reviews

One of the most entertaining sports books ever written
70% of all books written by sportsman are fairly dull unless you're a huge fan of that person (they didn't become famous by being a great writer did they?); 20% break into the "quite enjoyable" category; just 10% are capable of breaking the mould and appealing to the generalist reader because they are so entertaining and so well written - this is well into the 10% category. You need know nothing of cycling and Michael will entertain you whilst making you feel the pain he went through by such hugely real descriptions... am I using too many superlatives? I don't think you can for this book... I defy anyone with even a vague interest in sport not to enjoy this book

A great (and very funny) book
Fantastically funny. Lots on the history of the Hour record, the unlimitable anal retentiveness of the 'Blazers and Shoes' of the UCI, about how he prepared (and failed to prepare) for his attempt, ever decreasing circles of the organising of the attempt, enough self-deprecating humour to lighten it, but not so much that it becomes obvious.

A thoroughly entertaining read about a subject I didn't know too much about.

Worthwhile read
A fair few people of a certain age people would remember the media coverage of Obree and Boardman riding round a cycle track for ages, breaking some sort of record and thinking how well they had down for their country. I have no active interest in cycling but that doesn't stop this book from being very informative on 'The Hour' record itself as well as being very funny indeed.
Once you are into Hutch's endeavours the book is difficult to put down as you will him to succeed. A great holiday read.