Shadows on the road
Subtitle: life at the heart of the peloton, from US Postal to Team Sky
By: Michael Barry
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Published: 2014
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 259
ISBN-13: 9780571297719; 9780571297733
Subjects: Cyclists; Biography; Bicycle racing; Corrupt practices
Description: In 2012, veteran cyclist Michael Barry announced his retirement from the sport. Weeks later he testified against his former team mate Lance Armstrong, as part of the USADA investigation. In a stunning piece of writing, Barry explores the dreams and passion of a young, idealistic cycling fan from Toronto, what it was like to go on to ride as a teammate alongside such giants of the sport as Lance Armstrong, Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, and how those dreams were compromised early on in his career by a sport in crisis. But it is also the story of his eleven years riding clean, before and after his time in the notorious US Postal Team. What was it like to head for Europe at such a young age, and what was it like to escape the environment of doping, to try and start again, all the time aware that past actions may one day catch up with him? Offering an elegiac insight into the life and mind of a professional sportsman - the pressures, sacrifices, fears, crashes, injuries and neuroses - Shadows on the Road is a must-read for cycling and sports fans alike.
Notes: Includes index.

Also issued online.