 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 Put Me Back On My Bike: In Search of Tom Simpson 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
|
Product Description
The Times
'a marvellous biography'
London Review of Books
'Weaves together vivid accounts of (Simpson's) races with interviews with those who knew him, and witnessed his final, fatal climb.'
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.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having been a fan of cycling since I can remember, the story of the alleged drug taking British cyclist who died in 1967 has always fascinated me. This book was a recommended read by a fellow cycling enthusiast who assured me it was not a book that made assumptions. I am so glad I've read it as the author is fair in every aspect of the history of this amazing man, Tom Simpson. Yes he did take drugs but so did all the other cyclists. It was almost part of the way of competitive life then that one was left with no doubts that in order to complete the Tour it would be impossible to achieve without 'enhancing' drugs. I have visited the memorial stone where Tom died on Ventoux and have seen for myself how fans young and old feel a need to leave something there as a gesture yet the book describes this in such a wonderfully descriptive way that if fans never have the chance to go, the book will be a very good substitute. My admiration goes to William Fotheringham who has covered a delicate subject so well - I only wish and hope that the bad press that has surrounded this great man's death is one day put completely behind so that we can then celebrate what Tom achieved by being Britain's greatest ever cyclist.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have mixed feelings about this book. As an aspiring club and racing cyclist in the sixties Tom Simpson was a boyhood hero for me. Having left the sport shortly after his death I have somehow managed, in the intervening years, to remain in blissful ignorance of the real detailed storey behind his death, other than the fact, that drugs may have played some part in his untimely death. I thus found this book immensely sad and moving.
On reflection I suppose I am glad I have finally heard what would appear to be the full storey. I still greatly admire Tom for his talent and his utter determination to get where he wanted to be, but time has taught me that hero's are something else, mainly unheard of nameless people who dedicate their life to maybe a disabled relative or others in need, often not through choice, but duty.
Because this book tells you the full storey of Tom's short life, in a sympathetic, clear, and in an absorbingly interesting unbiased way without being judgemental, I would recommend it to any cyclist or anyone else interested in sport in general.
I did not give it five stars for one simple reason, my personal preference is that a book should be progressive in the time frame it covers and this book tended to be constructed in a series of stories. However the content is excellent and engrossing and this is just a small point. Perhaps I am being picky.
On reflection I suppose I am glad I have finally heard what would appear to be the full storey. I still greatly admire Tom for his talent and his utter determination to get where he wanted to be, but time has taught me that hero's are something else, mainly unheard of nameless people who dedicate their life to maybe a disabled relative or others in need, often not through choice, but duty.
Because this book tells you the full storey of Tom's short life, in a sympathetic, clear, and in an absorbingly interesting unbiased way without being judgemental, I would recommend it to any cyclist or anyone else interested in sport in general.
I did not give it five stars for one simple reason, my personal preference is that a book should be progressive in the time frame it covers and this book tended to be constructed in a series of stories. However the content is excellent and engrossing and this is just a small point. Perhaps I am being picky.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A must read, awe inspiring. Made all the better by the author true love of biking. Would recommend a good read to any dedicated biker.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Honest and moving true story
I really admired Fotheringham's balanced approach to his subject. It's sometimes too easy to give in and be defensive when you genuinely like the person you're writing about, and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kimberly Menozzi
Put Me Back on My Bike
A very well researched and written book. I have more books about the late Tom Simpson, and found this one to be about the most interesting and absorbing.
Published 8 months ago by Mr. James Hall
IF YOU LOVE CYCLING, A MUST READ
Mr Tom was my sporting hero rather than any footballers in the 60's. This book is a fantastic insight into his life and cycling career, from a young boy to his untimely end in the... Read more
Published 8 months ago by dave
An eye opener
I found this book to be a revelation! I saw Tom Simpson ride a Good Friday meeting at Herne Hill in the 1960's and he was clearly a class act. Read more
Published 12 months ago by bluemo
Superb account of Simpson's life, career and tragic death...
This is an excellent book, always fair and balanced in its examination of Tom Simpson's life and career. Read more
Published 22 months ago by SaxophoneAlex
A reminder the English world champion
always good to read the epics that Tom Simpson attained in his hard cycling life....a pioneer from the early days when soiltary cyclists ventured to try their chances in the bike... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Miguel
Tommy simpson put me back on my bike
I was interested in Tommy Simpson because he was a British rider in a European dominated sport. He was the son of a miner and I always wondered how he rose from humble beginings to... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2010 by alan newcombe
A damn good book!
Sad and realistic. The author depicts TS as he really was and does not attempt to blur fact with fiction. Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2010 by Historyboy
Wonderful insight
The world of professional cycling has been synonymously linked with drugs and alcohol.
Few people can appreciate what it takes to ride 2-3 thousand miles over a 3 week... Read more
Few people can appreciate what it takes to ride 2-3 thousand miles over a 3 week... Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2009 by Keith Batchelor
The ultimate sporting legend...
It is hard to be triumphant about a book which is centered on a tragedy - the death of Tom Simpson while struggling up Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France. Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2009 by stevieby
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.
|
