For many of us, the winter and new year is full of goals and lots of indoor base miles. While training on an indoor bike can sometimes be monotonous, having a few good podcasts, books, music playlists, and audiobooks can really help us cope. While ideally we would all love to be sitting on the beach relaxing with a good book, being able to multitask while training can be a productive time for us to listen to a few educational and inspirational audiobooks to inspire our indoor rides.
With platforms like Audible providing a library of audiobooks to download and listen to, it’s easy to plug in your headphones, clip in, and listen to a few inspiring bestsellers that everyone’s talking about.
Whether you like to listen while taking a rest day in your comfiest chair, or while sweating it out on your saddle – we’ve put together a list of recommended audiobooks for cyclists.
Ride the Revolution: The Inside Stories from Women in Cycling, Suze Clemiston
Ladies of Lycra unite and listen to stories about the women who have helped shape cycling throughout history. It starts with Marie Marvingt in the 1908 Tour De France and features contributions from people like Emma O’Reilly, who was one of the people responsible for bringing Lance Armstrong down as part of David Walsh’s investigation.
Pro Cycling on $10 a Day: From Fat Kid to Euro Pro, Phil Gaimon
This is the bestselling and most highly-reviewed cycling audiobook on Audible, from American racing cyclist Phil Gaimon. If you’re looking for a bit of an inspirational boost after an overindulgent December, this might just be it. Funny but cautionary, Gaimon tells his story of going from a lazy kid on the couch to the turbulent world of professional racing.
Mud, Sweat and Gears: Cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats (Via the Pub), Ellie Bennett
Sometimes it’s comforting to hear funny cycling tales from other ordinary people, just like listening to a friend. Ellie narrates the tale of taking on the challenge of cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats in the run up to her 50th birthday, while questioning if she’ll ever make it to the finish line.
Escape in this light-hearted story about Cat McCabe, a reporter who is sent to cover the Tour de France. It’s easy, humorous listening, which is perfect for sunbathing on a Mediterranean beach.
The Call of the Road, Chris Sidwells
Sidwells reveals the epic battles of all of the racing seasons since the first Tour de France, looking beyond the results to see the drama – not just on the road but within the teams and between individuals – and the politics and scandal that continue to fascinate cycle road race fans everywhere.
The Brave Athlete Calm the F–k Down and Rise to the Occasion, Simon Marshall PhD, Lesley Paterson
The Brave Athlete solves the 13 most common mental conundrums athletes face in their everyday training and in races. What if you could stop the thoughts and feelings you don’t want? What if you could feel confident, suffer like a hero, and handle any stress? You can. The Brave Athlete from Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson will help you take control of your brain so you can train harder, race faster, and better enjoy your sport.
The Secret Race. Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs, Tyler Hamilton, Daniel Coyle
From the exhilaration of his early, naïve days in the peloton, Hamilton chronicles his ascent to the uppermost reaches of this unforgiving sport. In the mid-1990s, the advent of a powerful new blood-boosting drug called EPO reshaped the world of cycling, and a relentless, win-at-any-cost ethos took root. Its psychological toll would drive many of the sport’s top performers to substance abuse, depression, even suicide. For the first time ever, Hamilton recounts his own battle with clinical depression, speaks frankly about the agonizing choices that go along with the decision to compete at a world-class level, and tells the story of his complicated relationship with Lance Armstrong.
Hear it straight from the Yorkshire champion’s mouth, as Lizzie narrates along with Kat Sobey. She tells her side of the drugs test story, shares the biggest challenges faced in endurance sports and discusses the sexism tackled in her career. Of course, you hear about all her silver win in Rio, too!
What audiobooks would you recommend? Have you read or listened to any of the recommendations above? We’d love to hear what you think, so let us know in the comments box below.
Image: Denni Van Huis