Heroes, Villains and Velodromes: Chris Hoy and Britain's Track Cycling Revolution - by Richard Moore

This book is not something that I would usually have read, but a friend who is a keen cyclist loaned me his copy, and I have been steadily reading away at it for a few months. Despite the cover, this is not really a book about Chris Hoy, it is about the renaissence within Scottish cycling. For non-cycling fanatics it is a bit dense, and the human interest is sparse. But it is not really that sort of book. Where it does excel, for me, is in showing the sheer doggedness and determination required to succeed. By any reasonable standards Chris Hoy faced obstacles that must have seemed insurmountable. His physical achievements are remarkable but it was through mastering his own psychology that he laid the foundations for what he achieved. He was advised to go away and devise a training programme that excited him, and that is what he did. He visualised all the myriad possibilities for a competition, so that he could cope calmly with any of the anticipated setbacks.

Well worth reading even if you are not a cycling buff, though maybe less of a page turner for non buffs.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heroes-Villains-Velodromes-Britains-Revolution/dp/000726531X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254069129&sr=8-1