The Ascent
Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling's Golden Generation
Published on 20. April 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-0-7171-8153-7 (ISBN)
Description
Nominated for the BGE Irish Sports Books of the Year and the Eir Sports Book of the Year
For most of the 20th century, professional cycling was dominated by riders from the continental strongholds of France, Italy, Belgium and Spain, but in the 1980s, two young men from Ireland rose from obscure beginnings to arrive at the very top of the sport: Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche
Today, they remain indelibly inscribed in the annals of cycling with legacies that include victories at the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships. But beyond the bike lies an untold story of adjusting to the mores of the professional peloton, of influences shared and of friendships made and broken
Based on new and exclusive interviews with Kelly, Roche and other key players from the time, including their teammates, rivals and confidants, The Ascent is the dramatic story of how a generation of Irish riders scaled heights never reached before or since.
'A tour de force.' The Irish Times
'Intelligent and incisive ... a compellingly sharp read.' Jeremy Whittle, Author of Ventoux
'A brilliant book.' Today With Sean O'Rourke, RTE
For most of the 20th century, professional cycling was dominated by riders from the continental strongholds of France, Italy, Belgium and Spain, but in the 1980s, two young men from Ireland rose from obscure beginnings to arrive at the very top of the sport: Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche
Today, they remain indelibly inscribed in the annals of cycling with legacies that include victories at the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships. But beyond the bike lies an untold story of adjusting to the mores of the professional peloton, of influences shared and of friendships made and broken
Based on new and exclusive interviews with Kelly, Roche and other key players from the time, including their teammates, rivals and confidants, The Ascent is the dramatic story of how a generation of Irish riders scaled heights never reached before or since.
'A tour de force.' The Irish Times
'Intelligent and incisive ... a compellingly sharp read.' Jeremy Whittle, Author of Ventoux
'A brilliant book.' Today With Sean O'Rourke, RTE
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Dublin
Ireland
Publishing group
Gill
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
564 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7171-8153-7 (9780717181537)
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
Person
Barry Ryan is European Editor at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and other events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is from Glanworth in County Cork.