If the book’s author were to scribble something on the back of a fag packet, I would want to read it. To my mind Michael Barry articulates better than anyone what it’s like to be a professional road racer. While I cannot empathise over his descriptions of racing in the peloton, they most accurately answer my question “What’s it like?” When he writes about training, his words sing to me. It’s exactly how I feel when I’m out on my bike.