On the Road Bike

Get in the xigxag app
This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.
Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }}
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Ned Boulting has noticed something. It's to do with bikes. They're everywhere. And so are their riders. Some of these riders seem to be sporting sideburns and a few of them are winning things. Big things. Now Ned wants to know how on earth it came to this. And what, exactly is 'this'.

In On the Road Bike, Ned Boulting asks how Britain became so obsessed with cycling. Ned’s search puts him in contact with some of the wonderful and wonderfully idiosyncratic people who have contributed to this nation’s two-wheeled history. It's a journey that takes him from the velodrome at Herne Hill to the Tour of Britain at Stoke-on-Trent via Bradley Wiggins, Chris Boardman, David Millar (and David's mum), Ken Livingstone, both Tommy Godwins, Gary Kemp (yes, him from Spandau Ballet) and many, many more. The result is an amusing and personal exploration of the austere, nutty soul of British cycling.

Critics Review

  • Funny, fascinating and frequently touching … will be enjoyed by anyone with even a passing interest in cycling. No bib shorts required

    Guardian

  • Don’t expect to read a better sports book this year. Funny, serious, quirky, hard hitting.

    Brendan Gallagher

  • Quirky, insightful, soulful. Could be subtitled ‘cyclists are odd – discuss’

    @DickinsonTimes

  • It’s very funny, surprisingly insightful and features telling observations from a litany of engaging personalities along with Ned’s amusing take on his own cycling experiences

    Wheelsuckers

  • Boulting is a delightful narrator, amusingly preoccupied by his own middle-class roots

    Financial Times

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.