May 2009

May has been a book month. I’m writing one about the Tour de France and it requires a huge amount of research, so that’s kept me fairly quiet. It is an amazing race that has grown up in its own world, with a unique culture and set of values. The tale I’m writing isn’t always a comfortable one, but I’m still staggered by the passion and on many occasions the true heroics of those involved. The Tour is a bit like War, you
can make it glorious but scratch at the gloss and it’s intensely human. I hope I’m
doing both.

I’ve also got a paperback version of Tour Climbs, coming out on May 28. It’s a guide to every climb with over 400 metres of height gain that has ever been used by the Tour de France. And I’ve a series of three other book projects in the planning stage, which also requires quite a lot of work. Sometimes writing a book is the easiest part.

For the rest of the time I’ve been doing articles for magazines. The ride features I do for Cycling Weekly have been beset by a dodgy British Spring, but our subjects have battled through and kept smiling for the camera. I’ve stuck a few pictures of them on here to break up my ramblings.

Anyway, better get on as I’ve got a strict monthly word count for the Tour book that must be stuck to. It will be finished by December then out in the shops by about this time next year.

 

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