Boy Racer
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Boy Racer for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Boy Racer, is essentially a masterclass in the art of winning relayed through the eyes of a young, hungry and sometimes impatient embryo superstar with a penchant for entertaining industrial language. It is also highly personal and revelatory and gives you a unique insight to one of Britain's most successful and respected sportsmen worldwide.' --Brendan Gallagher, Daily Telegraph
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Boy Racer - expertly ghosted by the cycling journalist Daniel Friebe to catch the inner conflict between the impetuousness that makes Cavendish such a daunting competitor and the introspection that makes him such an interesting person - winds its way to the top step of the podium from BMX races as a ten-year-old via spells as a bank clerk in the Douglas branch of Barclays and as a resident of the academy run by British Cycling."
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have read a large number of sporting books in my time; some very good, many distinctly mediocre. This might just be the best one I have ever read.
Love him or loathe him - and it is difficult to be anywhere in between - Mark Cavendish is to sprinting on two wheels what Usain Bolt is to sprinting on two legs. If road cycling had anywhere near the same profile in the UK as athletics does, more people would be idolising this young man in the same way as the incredible Jamaican athlete.
Cavendish's autobiography weaves the tale of his four stage wins at the 2008 Tour de France with his life story up to and including his win at the 2009 Milan-San Remo classic. Although the book covers only the first two-and-a-bit years of a pro career which still (hopefully) has many successful years to come - and therefore does not include his six stage wins at the 2009 Tour - there is so much packed into the 340-odd pages that it does not feel padded at all.
The book reads in much the same way the man himself conducts himself in interviews: he shoots from the hip with his heart on his sleeve, occasionally inserting foot in mouth. But anyone who has ever seen Cav interviewed would expect no less: in a PC, PR-conscious world, here is a sportsman who is as brutally honest as he is fast. At times it is painfully obvious who he does and does not respect in the cycling world, and yet he is surprisingly self-critical, self-effacing and not afraid to admit when he has been proven wrong about someone. The book is full of little insights into the mindset of a master practitioner and behind-the-scenes revelations of what it is like to be a professional road cyclist, which make this a cut above the average sporting autobiography. Add this to the fleshing out of a person far more complex, meticulous and magnanimous (to his team) than the one-dimensional cocky narcissist sometimes portrayed in the media, and what you have here is a compelling tale that had me tearing through the pages much like the man himself does when he has the sniff of the finish line in his nostrils.
Unputdownable. Having waited a few months before buying this, I will be first in line to buy the next chapter of the story of this incredible young man.
Love him or loathe him - and it is difficult to be anywhere in between - Mark Cavendish is to sprinting on two wheels what Usain Bolt is to sprinting on two legs. If road cycling had anywhere near the same profile in the UK as athletics does, more people would be idolising this young man in the same way as the incredible Jamaican athlete.
Cavendish's autobiography weaves the tale of his four stage wins at the 2008 Tour de France with his life story up to and including his win at the 2009 Milan-San Remo classic. Although the book covers only the first two-and-a-bit years of a pro career which still (hopefully) has many successful years to come - and therefore does not include his six stage wins at the 2009 Tour - there is so much packed into the 340-odd pages that it does not feel padded at all.
The book reads in much the same way the man himself conducts himself in interviews: he shoots from the hip with his heart on his sleeve, occasionally inserting foot in mouth. But anyone who has ever seen Cav interviewed would expect no less: in a PC, PR-conscious world, here is a sportsman who is as brutally honest as he is fast. At times it is painfully obvious who he does and does not respect in the cycling world, and yet he is surprisingly self-critical, self-effacing and not afraid to admit when he has been proven wrong about someone. The book is full of little insights into the mindset of a master practitioner and behind-the-scenes revelations of what it is like to be a professional road cyclist, which make this a cut above the average sporting autobiography. Add this to the fleshing out of a person far more complex, meticulous and magnanimous (to his team) than the one-dimensional cocky narcissist sometimes portrayed in the media, and what you have here is a compelling tale that had me tearing through the pages much like the man himself does when he has the sniff of the finish line in his nostrils.
Unputdownable. Having waited a few months before buying this, I will be first in line to buy the next chapter of the story of this incredible young man.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I found `Boy Racer' to be an immensely satisfying and intriguing insight into the most talented sports star ever to emerge from the Isle of Man. Interspersed with his recount of his momentous achievements in the 2008 Tour de France and paradoxically calamitous under-achievement in the Beijing Games, is a heartfelt and moving account of his life and driving passions. This book is about a man with an unerring sense of self belief, whose drive and will to win define him.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm no sportsman, and only an occasional cyclist, but after watching the 2009 Tour de France I wanted to find out more about Mark Cavendish. Not having read any sporting auto-biographies I didn't know quite what to expect, but I have to say I was mightily impressed by `Boy Racer'. We get to know about life in the peloton but we also learn that the personal side of racing is just as important as the technical; and Cavendish comes across as very likeable. If you have any interest in professional cycling I would thoroughly recommend this book.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
I was glued!
for a boy who is constantly being told to read more books my mum brought this to get me reading because i love cycling and Mark Cavendish is an inspiration to me. Read more
Published 9 days ago by hilldo
A Boy and a Bike
Not quite finished but have to say when I started reading, I didn't like Cavendish very much. I'm an amateur racer in USA cycling and can relate to some of his experiences. Read more
Published 1 month ago by James Thompson
Not the best read...
Three out of five for 'boy racer' an amazing sportsman but he has very little to say and repeats it ad nauseum to pad out the book - confusing structure too. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BigNeil
Thanks
Service was prompt and goods perfect Exactly what I wanted and no problems whatsoever.Will be happy to buy something from here again
Published 5 months ago by Janey B
Still too young for Bio
An excellent insight into the teamwork that exists in a racing team. I thought i understood how they work for each other but never quite realised to this extent. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Duke
A must for cyclists
You will know a lot more about Mark Cavendish (and many of his team mates and adversaries) after reading this book. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. K. Prior
Much more entertaining than most sports bios
This is gripping from the very first page, and gives great insight into the life of pro cyclist. Mark can be a real pain and makes no secret of the fact, but he is hard working,... Read more
Published 6 months ago by B. A. Baker
Nicest ego in Britain
To many of us, someone writing a biography in the first third of their life, or just a few years into their hopefully long career, surely looks like hubris. Read more
Published 6 months ago by S. Cryer
Great read for both cyclists and none cyclists alike.
Great read for both cyclists and none cyclists alike.
An excellent and addictive read, I couldn't put it down! Read more
An excellent and addictive read, I couldn't put it down! Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jason W Miller
Boy racer to worldchampion
Mark speaks his mind and gives you all the facts that have made him the fastest sprint finisher in the world.
Published 8 months ago by Prog merckx
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
