-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
In Pursuit Of Glory: The Autobiography
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 In Pursuit of Glory: The Autobiography 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.
|
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Wiggins has a tough story to tell and he does it with an honesty that disregards embarrassment and pain -- Nick Pitt SUNDAY TIMES an inspiring tale of dedication and perseverance that doesn't shy away from the lows, such as his team's controversial suspension from the 2007 Tour BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH
Review
Wiggins has a tough story to tell and he does it with an honesty that disregards embarrassment and pain (Nick Pitt SUNDAY TIMES )
an inspiring tale of dedication and perseverance that doesn't shy away from the lows, such as his team's controversial suspension from the 2007 Tour (BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH )
an inspiring tale of dedication and perseverance that doesn't shy away from the lows, such as his team's controversial suspension from the 2007 Tour (BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH )
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
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The first thing to say is I enjoyed this book a lot - I mean it was the one I keep picking up in preference to any of the others in the stack! Is this because I am a bike-nut? Well, I will try to be objective...
Mr. Wiggins gives a brave and honest account of his life - in particular he gives a frank account of his relationship with his father who walked out and lost all contact when Bradley was a mere three years old, an act the 'father' had performed with a former wife and child and would repeat a third time. This same father, a tough Aussie, did leave his mark though - as a cycling legend there is no doubting where Brad got his inspiration and perhaps his talent also. Certainly a mixed blessing - even the 'suspicious' death of Gary Wiggins adds weight to his son's emotional burden.
Brad is also open about his prolonged bout of drinking following his gold medal win in Athens. So certainly a life with bumps. To balance all the negative aspects he can credit the English half of his family for their support and the affection he shares with his own wife and kids.
And all of this is important as it becomes clear - at the top of sporting achievement mental strength and well-being are as important as their physical counterparts.
There are a few insights into the complex world of cycling (Bradley is involved in both road and track racing) and the magical set-up of Team UK. A little too much of race schedules - which won't mean much to anyone not present. And a little too much of thanking people - touching, but reads like an extended acceptance speech!
Cycling is not, thankfully, a dull sport! The book is saved by capturing sufficient of the build-up and the actual race tension.
Of course the question I wanted an answer to was why the two gold medals from Beijing was not three? That may seem mean, but Wiggins was chosen for three events with good reason, in fact it would have been unreasonable had he not been selected for all three, and all expectations were for three golds. But equally, in the circumstances, is it reasonable to expect one individual to produce world-beating times day after day after day? And if the Olympics want to show the best athletes can produce, is this the way to organize things? In any case, Wiggins is certainly entitled to his defense - if ever winning only two gold medals needs one!
I wanted to know the character of Bradley Wiggins better and this book, despite its limitations, obliged. His reputation may not glitter like some, but as a working-class boy who never claims to be more than an average bloke he has achieved one hell of a lot, and I will keep on applauding him for that.
Some of the photos are pretty cool too!
Mr. Wiggins gives a brave and honest account of his life - in particular he gives a frank account of his relationship with his father who walked out and lost all contact when Bradley was a mere three years old, an act the 'father' had performed with a former wife and child and would repeat a third time. This same father, a tough Aussie, did leave his mark though - as a cycling legend there is no doubting where Brad got his inspiration and perhaps his talent also. Certainly a mixed blessing - even the 'suspicious' death of Gary Wiggins adds weight to his son's emotional burden.
Brad is also open about his prolonged bout of drinking following his gold medal win in Athens. So certainly a life with bumps. To balance all the negative aspects he can credit the English half of his family for their support and the affection he shares with his own wife and kids.
And all of this is important as it becomes clear - at the top of sporting achievement mental strength and well-being are as important as their physical counterparts.
There are a few insights into the complex world of cycling (Bradley is involved in both road and track racing) and the magical set-up of Team UK. A little too much of race schedules - which won't mean much to anyone not present. And a little too much of thanking people - touching, but reads like an extended acceptance speech!
Cycling is not, thankfully, a dull sport! The book is saved by capturing sufficient of the build-up and the actual race tension.
Of course the question I wanted an answer to was why the two gold medals from Beijing was not three? That may seem mean, but Wiggins was chosen for three events with good reason, in fact it would have been unreasonable had he not been selected for all three, and all expectations were for three golds. But equally, in the circumstances, is it reasonable to expect one individual to produce world-beating times day after day after day? And if the Olympics want to show the best athletes can produce, is this the way to organize things? In any case, Wiggins is certainly entitled to his defense - if ever winning only two gold medals needs one!
I wanted to know the character of Bradley Wiggins better and this book, despite its limitations, obliged. His reputation may not glitter like some, but as a working-class boy who never claims to be more than an average bloke he has achieved one hell of a lot, and I will keep on applauding him for that.
Some of the photos are pretty cool too!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Ghosted biographies of incomplete sports careers can be disappointing but I was tempted into buying this after reading an article about Bradley in the Sunday Times. Whilst Bradley is not keen to explore his childhood in any great depth he does open some doors on his inner life and in particular the issues surrounding his non relationship with his father who left him very early in his life to be raised by his mother, his grandparents and a step father. It is what Bradly doesn't give away to his ghost writer that is the most interesting from a psychological perspective. Taking to drink following his success in winning the gold at Athens is fascinating as is his refocusing upon a new career on the raod before coming back into the high performance culture of Team GB again as he builds towards his further successes in Beijing. Perhaps Bradley will further expand upon his life more fully after he competes at London in 2012 in which we will all hope he has further successes as by medal count he is already a highly successful Olympian. Not a five-star read but I was not disapponted. This is an insight into a champion who has wrestled with his personality and a number of psycholgical issues.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After what he did at the Tour de France I got the book. Its a very inspired read and I ended up reading the whole thing on a long flight to Thailand. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. It gives a god insight into what makes Wiggins tick and how his child hood made him the guy he is. Well recommended even for non-cyclists
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bradley Wiggins - In pursuit of glory
Absolutely fantastic read. Gives a real insight into the personal life of Bradley Wiggins, fascinating!! Read more
Published 9 months ago by Annandy
Sloppy book lets down Wiggins
I doubt anyone can read this and think it's a good book however much they might think - as I do - that Wiggins is a good bloke. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Orchard Gate
A bit of a let down
First off, Brad's achievements are extraordinary. No doubt. Hat's off to all he has (and will continue to) achieve. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Humphris1
Rushed book doesn't do justice to the subject
Bradley Wiggins is a great rider and an interesting character. This barely proof-read book, with its grammatical, spelling and factual mistakes, does not do him justice, and... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Graham Pierce
A special cycling book.
I found this book a darned good read. From difficult family circumstances to success on the bike, then on to gold medals, olympic fame and finally the Tour de France. Read more
Published on 7 April 2010 by D. H. C. Vickery
Happy
Very happy did not wait long for this item to come, Birthday gift for my son in law.
Published on 10 Mar 2010 by Mrs. Charmaine M. Lynch
Inciteful
Pretty decent book..
I don't know whether I had an opinion of Bradley Wiggins before I read this book. Read more
I don't know whether I had an opinion of Bradley Wiggins before I read this book. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2010 by J. Fay
Brilliant- a great read
This is a great book for anyone- definitely for fans of british and international cycling but also for anyone interested in Sport or what makes people tick- a genuinely good... Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2010 by H. Patel
brilliant read
A great read , I read this in 2/3 days it often takes me weeks/ months to finish a book.Bradley writes a fair bit about his father and writes from the heart, his honesty comes... Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2010 by brightlight
Book Review
This is a great read! Watching the cyclists or any elite sports person for that matter, you tend to assume it's all so easy for them, they are naturally gifted etc. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2009 by Lynn I. Spittal
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
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.
|
