The Hour: Sporting immortality the hard way

Description

The story of the only cycling records that matters, by one of our cleverest, funniest new writers The Hour. It's the only cycling record that matters- one man and his bike against the clock in a quest for pure speed. No teammates, no rivals, no tactics, no gears, no brakes. Just one simple question - in sixty minutes, how far can you go? Michael Hutchinson had a plan. He was going to add his name to the list of record-holders, cycling's supermen. But how does a man who became a professional athlete by accident achieve sporting immortality? It didn't sound too hard. All he needed was a couple of hand-tooled bike frames, the most expensive wheels money could buy, a support team of crack professionals, a small pot of glue, and a credit card wired to someone else's bank account. Still, getting the glue wasn't a problem... Michael Hutchinson became a full-time cyclist in 2000 after becoming disillusioned with an academic career. Over the following six years he has won more than twenty national titles, and the gold medal in the Masters' Pursuit World Championships. He is now a writer and journalist (and cyclist) and lives in south London.

Michael Hutchinson became a full-time cyclist in 2000 after becoming disillusioned with an academic career. Over the following six years he has won more than twenty national titles, and the gold medal in the Masters' Pursuit World Championships. He is now a writer and journalist (and cyclist) and lives in south London.

In this warm, gently wise book, Hutchinson tells of his attempt at the Hour, the history of the record, and the men who have claimed it ... Whether he added his name to that illustrious list is unimportant ... because, as with all great quest stories, this is not about the destination, but the journey -- Angus Batey * The Times * Hutchinson proves as good a writer as he is rider (praise indeed) - congenial, funny and insightful ... A very fine way indeed to spend an hour, any hour -- Matt Seaton * Guardian * Has the rare quality in any sports-writing of propelling the reader into the intensity of the sporting moment itself -- David Horspool * Times Literary Supplement * Sometimes painful, often hilarious... One of the most insightful and entertaining accounts of the cycling world to make it into print * Cycling Weekly * Constantly absorbing, very funny... Michael Hutchinson pulls off a real blinder * Daily Telegraph *