The Racer Life on the Road as a Pro Cyclist

What is it really like to be a racer? How does it feel to be reeled in from a solo breakaway meters from the line? 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? What sacrifices must a cyclist make to reach the highest levels? 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.

DAVID MILLAR has been a professional cyclist for 17 years, winning four stages of the Tour de France, five of the Vuelta a España and one stage of the Giro d'Italia. He is now a part-owner of the Garmin cycling team and a key figure of the World Anti-doping Agency's athletes committee.