Race Against Time (eBook)

When Chris Boardman first raced against Graeme Obree, in a time trial in Newtonards, Northern Ireland, in 1990, it was the start of a rivalry that captivated the British public for a decade and brought cycling on to the front pages. Boardman was the establishment figure: reserved, scientific, middle-class. Obree was the rebel: the Flying Scotsman, working-class, riding a home-made bike. Both were after one thing - to be the fastest man on two wheels.

After Boardman had won Britain's first cycling gold medal for 72 years at the Barcelona Olympics (inspiring none other than Bradley Wiggins to get on a bike), attention turned to the world hour record, the blue riband event of track cycling. Between 1993 and 1996, the pair took it in turns to smash the record, with Boardman's team breaking the boundaries of technology and the loner Obree constantly reinventing ways of building and riding bikes while battling his many demons.

The Race Against Time tells the story of how Britain first started to dominate cycling, but is also about the struggle between art and science, tradition and innovation, commercialism and individuality. It is the tale of two complex characters who redefined the sport and set in motion a new era in British cycling, the legacy of which we enjoy to this day.

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It is known as the race of truth, the purest form of the sport. The time trial - one man against the clock - lies at the heart of British cycling culture, and when two of the finest exponents of the art went head to head in the 1990s, the result was explosive. The rivalry between Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman, and their extraordinary achievements on both track and road, were simply epic, their feats are lauded to this day.

In The Race Against Time, Edward Pickering uncovers the history and secrets of time trialling, explores British cycling's most famous battles, and recounts how it evolved into the ultimate test, the hour record. In this simple but brutal challenge of endurance, the mercurial Obree and metronomic Boardman pushed the boundaries of technology - and pain - to areas the cycling world had never known existed.

It is a story of two men with contrasting and complex characters, yet with a brilliant understanding of the science of speed and a common desire to be the fastest cyclist on the planet. It is also the story of the beginning of a revolution in British cycling that would inspire a new generation with a cascade of Olympic medals, world champions, and the nation's first ever Tour de France winner.

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When Chris Boardman first raced against Graeme Obree, in a time trial in Newtonards, Northern Ireland, in 1990, it was the start of a rivalry that captivated the British public for a decade and brought cycling on to the front pages. Boardman was the establishment figure: reserved, scientific, middle-class. Obree was the rebel: the Flying Scotsman, working-class, riding a home-made bike. Both were after one thing - to be the fastest man on two wheels.After Boardman had won Britain's first cycling gold medal for 72 years at the Barcelona Olympics (inspiring none other than Bradley Wiggins to get on a bike), attention turned to the world hour record, the blue riband event of track cycling. Between 1993 and 1996, the pair took it in turns to smash the record, with Boardman's team breaking the boundaries of technology and the loner Obree constantly reinventing ways of building and riding bikes while battling his many demons.The Race Against Time tells the story of how Britain first started to dominate cycling, but is also about the struggle between art and science, tradition and innovation, commercialism and individuality. It is the tale of two complex characters who redefined the sport and set in motion a new era in British cycling, the legacy of which we enjoy to this day.