The Racer: Life On The Road As A Pro Cyclist - Softcover

"David Millar's book takes you inside the sport of cycling while also emphasising the absurdity of it. It's quite rare for a sportsman to be so immersed and yet able to detach themselves from it all ... The parts on crashing are amazing. I felt frightened and sore reading it" (Richard Moore, author of Slaying the Badger)

"Cycling has always been about a great deal more than its winners, and The Racer is quite a ride" (Jon Day Spectator)

"What’s it really like to be a professional bike racer? David Millar gives you an unparalleled insight" (Colin Henrys Road Cycling UK)

"A love letter to the simple pleasure of riding a bike, and a very well-written one at that" (Jamie Beach Bike Radar)

"Millar's love for what he did, and the curious world he inhabited for 18 years, shines through his prose" (Scotsman)

What is it really like to be a racer?

What is it like to be swept along at 60kmh in the middle of the pack? How does it feel to be reeled in from a solo breakaway metres from the line? What happens to the body during a high-speed chute? What tactics must teams employ to win the day, the jersey, the grand tour? How does a domestique keep going to the end of a stage once his job is done and his body exhausted? How does a time-trialist maintain his form when every muscle and sinew is screaming at him to stop? What sacrifices must a cyclist make to reach the highest levels? What is it like on the bus? In the hotels? What camaraderie is built in the confines of a team? What rivalries? How does it feel to be constantly on the road, away from loved ones, tasting one more calorie-counted hotel breakfast?

David Millar offers us a unique insight into the mind of a professional cyclist during his last year before retirement. Over the course of a season on the World Tour, Millar puts us in touch with the sights, smells and sounds of the sport – the barked instructions of a road captain in a sprint chain, the silence of a solo training ride. This is a book about youth and age, fresh-faced excitement and hard-earned experience. It is a love letter to cycling.