
The Break
FEATURED ON THE NETFLIX SERIES TOUR DE FRANCE: UNCHAINED
Steve Cummings(Author)
Atlantic Books (Publisher)
Published on 15. June 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-83895-393-5 (ISBN)
Description
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 SPORTS BOOK AWARDS CYCLING BOOK OF THE YEAR*
The gripping and revealing autobiography of one of Britain's most successful international cyclists of the modern era
'Getting in a break was my one chance of winning. The hard part was working out, again and again, how to make that chance count'
Sharp, resourceful and a permanent outsider; for nearly 20 years Steve Cummings determinedly blazed his own winning trail in international cycling. A maverick who defied the dominant teams, to record a sequence of gloriously improbable victories, he has lived and raced with legends of the sport - Cavendish, Wiggins, Froome, Thomas and others - about whom he has strong views and untold stories.
This autobiography of one of Britain's most successful international riders of the modern era takes the reader from Steve's earliest days as a junior, pounding across the flatlands of the Wirral, through his love-hate relationships with the British Cycling track cycling squad, to his series of top-level breakaway victories in the Tour de France, Tour of Britain and Vuelta a Espana and - rather than standout physical talent - how developing his own strategies and training techniques enabled him to succeed against the odds.
The Break will be the first full-length account of the life and times of, in the words of ProCycling magazine, a 'universally popular and respected rider in the cycling world'.
The gripping and revealing autobiography of one of Britain's most successful international cyclists of the modern era
'Getting in a break was my one chance of winning. The hard part was working out, again and again, how to make that chance count'
Sharp, resourceful and a permanent outsider; for nearly 20 years Steve Cummings determinedly blazed his own winning trail in international cycling. A maverick who defied the dominant teams, to record a sequence of gloriously improbable victories, he has lived and raced with legends of the sport - Cavendish, Wiggins, Froome, Thomas and others - about whom he has strong views and untold stories.
This autobiography of one of Britain's most successful international riders of the modern era takes the reader from Steve's earliest days as a junior, pounding across the flatlands of the Wirral, through his love-hate relationships with the British Cycling track cycling squad, to his series of top-level breakaway victories in the Tour de France, Tour of Britain and Vuelta a Espana and - rather than standout physical talent - how developing his own strategies and training techniques enabled him to succeed against the odds.
The Break will be the first full-length account of the life and times of, in the words of ProCycling magazine, a 'universally popular and respected rider in the cycling world'.
Reviews / Votes
If you wanted me to pinpoint the main reason why Steve succeeded, it's the way he sees bike racing, his willingness to try something new, to do something differently ... There are so many guys out there who are strong, but Steve didn't just have the legs, he had the brains and the head for it all as well and that was his big advantage. * Geraint Thomas *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 129 mm
Width: 199 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
320 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83895-393-5 (9781838953935)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2022
Atlantic Books
€8.49
Available for download
Person
Born on the Wirral, Steve Cummings was a track rider for Team GB from 2001-2007 before racing for top pro teams including Team Sky, BMC and MTN-Qhubeka-Dimension Data. He completed two of the most spectacular stage race victories in recent Tour de France history: at the mountain-top finish in Mende in 2015 and through the Pyrenees in 2016, as well as a stage at the Tour of Spain. He was crowned both British Time Trial and Road-Race National Champion in 2017, the first rider to 'do the double' since Tour de France star David Millar ten years earlier. Recently retired, he is now development director at Ineos Grenadiers.
Content
i: Foreword: Geraint Thomas ii: Preface: The Landmark That Wasn't 1: Doughnuts 2: Dilemmas 3: Contrasts 4: 2008-09: Road or Track? 5: Man on a Mission 6: The Wrong Kind of Limits: Team Sky 2010-11 7: No Stress Man 8: Roller Coaster 9: A Human Time Bomb 10: Mandela Day 11: Why I Couldn't Train with Mark Cavendish 12: The Right Direction 13: A Race Against Time 14: Back to My Roots 15: Bottles, Britain and a New Beginning iii: Nine Lessons iv: Palmares v: Acknowledgements vi: Index