The Secret Cyclist: Real Life as a Rider in the Professional Peloton

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Driving and cycling safely is the responsibility of the motorist and cyclist. Bad driving and cycling can put people’s lives at risk, cause life changing injuries or have lasting effects on the mental health of those involved. When you read this, the way its worded, and the cadence of the sentences, you really get the feeling most of it was written in hotel rooms by a tired cyclist waiting for the day to end, so he can ride/race his bike the next day. It feels honest, and the words not massaged by a co-writer before going to print.

Many fatal or serious collisions on our roads can be linked to the 'fatal four': speeding, distraction, not wearing seat belts and driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs. I think that Phil Gaimon's book, Draft Animals, might be the nearest equivalent to The Secret Cyclist, and it is mentioned when our unknown rider takes the opportunity to be pretty dismissive of both that book, and the allegations made in it about Fabian Cancellara and motors. I can’t say who it is but when the news breaks you’ll know who I’m talking about. If it’s true, it’s a good thing that’s [sic] he’s been found out; it shows that the biological passport is doing its job.” If you want to just read about doping and all the dirt that goes on behind the scenes in pro cycling, don't bother. Yes, there is plenty of that, but this book is much more than that. It's a glimpse not only at what happens in the peloton, but what happens in the mind of a rider at the top of his game. You get the sense that whoever authored this book is torn between many aspects of the sport but is also deeply in love with racing his bike. And for anyone who has ever raced their bike, it's a fantastic insight into the levels that very few achieve.So an eyebrow of suspicion rises when reading TSP’s assertion that Cadel Evans has “always had a chip on his shoulder, but this time it’s much more than a chip, it’s a whole bag of Doritos!” this guy went through all the columns in March 2016, and came up with 6 possible riders who did all the races mentioned in 2013 columns

Besides, in the latest column, TSP lays into @UCI_Overlord following the much-publicised issues with the Paul Kimmage fund – and Koen has been a good friend to Not Pat McQuaid. The Dutchman already has a column with Cyclingtips too, which would make him being TSP a bit obvious (not to mention barrel-scraping). The Secret Cyclist has asserted his right to be indentified as the author of this Work..." if you're anonymous, how can you (legally) identify with a published work, without revealing that identity if challenged? Keen to stir the pot, yours truly partook in some of the speculation by commenting that this has not been a good week for Bradley Wiggins – deprived of Tour de France leadership, subject to a Colombian conspiracy, and then discovering that he may not have been the first Briton to win a Grand Tour anyway, that his nemesis Chris Froome may have beaten him to it. But we weren’t seeking the identity of a Grand-Tour-winning doper as much as musing over which rider in the peloton was the inspiration behind TSP. If the ghost-writer’s poetic licence can shine through so blatantly with the words – then what of the facts?We were told that Katusha deserved their WorldTour slap-down because “where there’s smoke there’s fire” and that doping “just does not happen on my team.” (Of course not – not the mighty GreenEdge!)

What’s more – which other English speaking nation shows such disregard to spelling and grammar? (It’s “ let’s” not “ lets’” – unless someone is doing the letting, in which case its “ lets”.) Spokesman James Williams said: "Collisions on the road are one of the leading causes of death in the UK. Many of these incidents could easily be prevented by driving more safely. I've got videos of people on bikes going through red lights – I am sure a lot of cyclists could improve their behaviour."

Jobst Brandt Ride Bike! by Max Leonard et al

If a rider is innocent until proven guilty, the the results of an A sample should never be made public until the B (sample) is tested and everyone cleared or found guilty." Most ignoramuses thought this was tantamount to Saddles suggesting that Wiggo was the man with “no admission” stamped in his passport. They clearly missed the point that it was a reference to the 2011 Vuelta a España, in which Froome finished second to a rider who hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since his first and only Grand Tour victory. The number one problem? According to the Secret Cyclist it is 'impatient drivers' who can't wait a few seconds to overtake. Although not many of us were – because not many of us were actually reading the column, which hadn’t proved to be anywhere near as explosive or interesting as the concept first promised.

the contemporary nature of the book is evidenced by the two chapters concerning the 2018 giro and 2018 tour, but other topics covered include: getting started, the season, the team, equipment, contracts and agents, crashes, team sky and doping, to name but a few. in the latter chapter, the author professes to be racing drug-free (though, given his anonymity, unverifiably so) and though i didn't come across any hitherto unknown revelations, the author is not slow to make his opinions clear.He has also proposed that illuminated signs around the city reminding drivers to watch out for cyclists or even saying 'what's the hurry?' could genuinely help. So much of the book will be already familiar, even to the casual cyclist like myself. In particular, the Sky debacle and niggles about Sky's financial clout have been done to death in the cycling and everyday press over the last two years. Which leads Saddles to the conclusion that perhaps we’re all being led on by TSP. Perhaps he’s not a pro at all – but merely a figment of one journo’s imagination. And what better way of getting people to listen than firing off some fabricated doping torpedoes safely behind a veil of anonymity (and reader, before you pull out hair in exasperation, I do realise the irony of that previous statement). Real life as a rider in the professional peloton, revealing the side of the sport that only an anonymous cyclist can tell. Every public aspect of our lives is so tightly controlled that being truly honest is all but impossible in a newspaper interview, never mind a whole book. You try write a warts-and-all blog about your office. Question how the business is run, make sure you remember to call your boss a moron, and then tell me how it goes."