Cycling for Competition : All You Need to Know About Every Type of Racing, from Track Racing and Time-trialling to Cyclo-cross and Triathlon

This is a definitive guide to the high-speed, high-adrenaline sport of cycle racing: essential reading for beginners and experienced racers. This title is packed with practical advice on bike selection, refuelling and different types of racing. It includes tailored training programmes and step-by-step features on key skills and in-it-to-win-it racing strategies. It also includes a guide to the world's top road, off-road and track races, with profiles of champions and the lowdown on famous competitions. It contains over 200 photos that evoke the thrills of the race as well as offering helpful guidance on riding positions and key manoeuvres. Among the most challenging sports in the world, competitive cycling is a high-speed, high-adrenaline experience and this book is the essential handbook for novices and more accomplished racers alike. Complete with detailed sections on road, off-road and track racing, this book will guide you through every different type of racing, from the intensity of time-trialling to the unique challenges of cyclo-cross and triathalon. Advice on bike selection for each style of racing is included, with step-by-step instructions to teach you essential skills and strategies to get ahead of the pack. All the great races are covered, with information on the different stages of each and profiles of champions. To help you on your way to racing success, tailored training programmes and specialized drills are provided so you can reach top-level fitness.

Edward Pickering is an experienced racing, sportive, leisure and commuting cyclist and journalist who works for Cycling Weekly and Cycle Sport magazines. He has also written for various cycling publications, including the Lance Armstrong souvenir magazine, and for the New York Times. He specializes in the coverage of international road racing, and has followed and reported on eight Tours de France, as well as most of the other major races. He discovered cycling at the age of five, and then rediscovered it at the age of 16, since when he has cycled and raced on three continents.