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The Breakaway
Most retirement speeches are times when thanks are given, and happy memories are shared. Not in the case of Nicole Cooke. After a hugely successful career that had seen her achieve everything that cycling had to offer, one of the UK's top cyclists took the opportunity to condemn Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton and other dopers who had profited from their cheating at the time, stealing the careers of those who refused to dope, and were now profiting again from their confessions. With the steely determination and clear focus that she had shown throughout her career, Cooke spoke out against the hypocrisy that continues to damage her sport.Now, in her inspirational and frank memoir, Cooke reveals how she fought against the odds to reach the top in cycling. She explains how women cyclists were often overlooked, as funds were channelled towards the men, but shows how with determination and skill anyone can still achieve their goals. For anyone who wants to understand the truth about cycling, or who has followed their dream, Nicole Cooke's remarkable story is an unmissable read.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published July 3, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 8, 2014
This was beyond anything I expected, it was a great read.
Too often I got to the end of a page and wanted to put the book down in rage at the injustices described, and yet I needed to turn over and find out what happened next. It left the reader inspired and yet bruised at the same time.
It is a book that can be appreciated in equal measure by those with no interest in sport and cycling aficionados.
I have followed British Cycling for nearly 50 years and when Nicole Cooke burst on the scene, it was obvious she was different. I have always had a soft spot for her because it became clear from the very beginning that those who had made such a poor job of managing cycling through the turmoil of the decade that had proceeded her arrival, were not going to appreciate her. The 2000 British Championships went down in folk lore. That British Cycling frustrated, and didn't support her was to be expected. What was entirely new on reading the book, was the depth of the incompetence and the steps these people went to in exercising their petty-minded prejudice.
When I learnt that book was about to be released I was already thinking of Graham Obree and the way British Cycling connived, with the UCI to outlaw his bike the day before he should have ridden to a World Championship. "Sold down the river" is way too soft for it. British Cycling, ever parochial and biased, supported Chris Boardman, as their chosen star. The passage in "The Flying Scotsman" where Obree describes his GB "team-members" urinating in his bed whilst he was out of the room, always stuck with me and exemplifies the laddish & boorish group behaviour which meant British cyclists were so long the laughing no-hopers on the World scene. I was delighted to see Obree had written the foreword.
From start to finish, this is a great book. I won't describe events that had me gasping as I read it, because you need to read them for the first time, in context, for full impact.
I have rather given up reading sporting autobiographies because of the formulaic prose, often getting to the end of a book and having done nothing other than read a calendar littered with competition results; too often you learn nothing of the athlete or what made them want to win. This book is nothing like that. At first I skipped reading about Cooke's childhood, moving to the sections I was more familiar with, but I actually went back to it, because it is very necessary to understand the character that stood up to the chauvinistic bullies. The reader needed to learn that Cooke is highly intelligent, very determined and physically talented. That was a combination that was always going to see off a lot of the academically challenged men who seem to find homes in sports administration.
This is not that other disaster of a sports autobiography, the "list of team-managers who did not pick me or played me in the wrong position, with players around me who could not pass the ball to a London bus". There are plenty of characters, male and female, on whom Cooke lavishes praise. However, those who are not up to it, get named and shamed. Not that Cooke spares herself, describing her own mistakes and errors in the same candid nature she exposes the faults of others. Whilst it has its amusing passages, it is a brutal read at times. My breaks were to go an make myself and coffee and give myself a rest!
However, it is, in many places, beautifully written; the sections describing the tactics of road races were better than I had seen in any other cycling autobiography. Her love of this great sport comes shining through, in a way that so completely contrasts with say Victoria Pendleton. At times it does seem to skate through events and it could have done with more detail being added to certain passages. It could also have done with a list of characters as used in Wheelmen, sometimes there are too many to remember them all. It is all set against the dreams of a child, from ten to the end of her career. And it is that which caused me to write this review. I think for a certain type of male cyclist, who is male centric, this is going to be a very uncomfortable read.
I was so ashamed of the sport of cycling as I read through this book and my attitude to women's sport as a man. The frustrations, never ending stream of obstacles that she and other female riders have to face, day in day out; at so many levels, wages, events, disorganised teams, lack of press recognition and the appalling effect of drugs, which I had not appreciated how seriously the scandals on the men's scene had so decimated the women's scene; these are all well beyond what I understood. That these are overcome with guile and determination in equal measure, is so uplifting.
Sky and the male riders have so captivated the UK and yet here is a rider, whose exploits outshine all of those from Cav, Brad and Froome, and yet whose story is so little known by the general public. This is an astonishing fact that only adds credibility to her account and Cooke herself.
This truly is an inspirational book on many levels.
It is set in a cycling context but at its heart is a story for every young adult. It is about overcoming the odds and achieving your goals regardless of the obstacles others place in front of you.
I think of the books I was required to read as a teen-ager at school and I think this would have made a far more suitable material. I am going to ensure my teen-age niece and her mum read it.
[Along with the list of characters, I think it could have done with a copy of her retirement statement that shot round the World. Here is the link - I re-read it both before and after reading the book. http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013... ]
Too often I got to the end of a page and wanted to put the book down in rage at the injustices described, and yet I needed to turn over and find out what happened next. It left the reader inspired and yet bruised at the same time.
It is a book that can be appreciated in equal measure by those with no interest in sport and cycling aficionados.
I have followed British Cycling for nearly 50 years and when Nicole Cooke burst on the scene, it was obvious she was different. I have always had a soft spot for her because it became clear from the very beginning that those who had made such a poor job of managing cycling through the turmoil of the decade that had proceeded her arrival, were not going to appreciate her. The 2000 British Championships went down in folk lore. That British Cycling frustrated, and didn't support her was to be expected. What was entirely new on reading the book, was the depth of the incompetence and the steps these people went to in exercising their petty-minded prejudice.
When I learnt that book was about to be released I was already thinking of Graham Obree and the way British Cycling connived, with the UCI to outlaw his bike the day before he should have ridden to a World Championship. "Sold down the river" is way too soft for it. British Cycling, ever parochial and biased, supported Chris Boardman, as their chosen star. The passage in "The Flying Scotsman" where Obree describes his GB "team-members" urinating in his bed whilst he was out of the room, always stuck with me and exemplifies the laddish & boorish group behaviour which meant British cyclists were so long the laughing no-hopers on the World scene. I was delighted to see Obree had written the foreword.
From start to finish, this is a great book. I won't describe events that had me gasping as I read it, because you need to read them for the first time, in context, for full impact.
I have rather given up reading sporting autobiographies because of the formulaic prose, often getting to the end of a book and having done nothing other than read a calendar littered with competition results; too often you learn nothing of the athlete or what made them want to win. This book is nothing like that. At first I skipped reading about Cooke's childhood, moving to the sections I was more familiar with, but I actually went back to it, because it is very necessary to understand the character that stood up to the chauvinistic bullies. The reader needed to learn that Cooke is highly intelligent, very determined and physically talented. That was a combination that was always going to see off a lot of the academically challenged men who seem to find homes in sports administration.
This is not that other disaster of a sports autobiography, the "list of team-managers who did not pick me or played me in the wrong position, with players around me who could not pass the ball to a London bus". There are plenty of characters, male and female, on whom Cooke lavishes praise. However, those who are not up to it, get named and shamed. Not that Cooke spares herself, describing her own mistakes and errors in the same candid nature she exposes the faults of others. Whilst it has its amusing passages, it is a brutal read at times. My breaks were to go an make myself and coffee and give myself a rest!
However, it is, in many places, beautifully written; the sections describing the tactics of road races were better than I had seen in any other cycling autobiography. Her love of this great sport comes shining through, in a way that so completely contrasts with say Victoria Pendleton. At times it does seem to skate through events and it could have done with more detail being added to certain passages. It could also have done with a list of characters as used in Wheelmen, sometimes there are too many to remember them all. It is all set against the dreams of a child, from ten to the end of her career. And it is that which caused me to write this review. I think for a certain type of male cyclist, who is male centric, this is going to be a very uncomfortable read.
I was so ashamed of the sport of cycling as I read through this book and my attitude to women's sport as a man. The frustrations, never ending stream of obstacles that she and other female riders have to face, day in day out; at so many levels, wages, events, disorganised teams, lack of press recognition and the appalling effect of drugs, which I had not appreciated how seriously the scandals on the men's scene had so decimated the women's scene; these are all well beyond what I understood. That these are overcome with guile and determination in equal measure, is so uplifting.
Sky and the male riders have so captivated the UK and yet here is a rider, whose exploits outshine all of those from Cav, Brad and Froome, and yet whose story is so little known by the general public. This is an astonishing fact that only adds credibility to her account and Cooke herself.
This truly is an inspirational book on many levels.
It is set in a cycling context but at its heart is a story for every young adult. It is about overcoming the odds and achieving your goals regardless of the obstacles others place in front of you.
I think of the books I was required to read as a teen-ager at school and I think this would have made a far more suitable material. I am going to ensure my teen-age niece and her mum read it.
[Along with the list of characters, I think it could have done with a copy of her retirement statement that shot round the World. Here is the link - I re-read it both before and after reading the book. http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013... ]
November 8, 2021
This book will make you angry. Angry at the misogyny and corruption that conspired to suppress Women’s cycling in the U.K for decades. The fact that taxpayers (and lottery players) money has been used to fuel this oppression makes it doubly galling (at least to me). Women pay taxes too….
Why has no man ever been called to account for their (in)actions in a court of law in relation to cycling in the U.K. Doesn’t ‘malfeasance in public office’ apply, eg when using public money to ‘secretly’ support a commercial enterprise (Team Sky)? How about the constant holidays at taxpayers expense (sorry… ‘warm weather training camps’) that repeatedly failed to get a single male rider over the line at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games- competitions won by Nicole riding alone without a U.K. funded coach or the need for a ‘follow the sun’ luxury lifestyle?
IMHO Nicole Cooke is the greatest female cyclist of all time. I know / know of the other contenders, but I always come back to Nicole for her hard work, incredible cycling brain and unbelievable dedication / results in the face of deliberate obstruction and betrayal by British Cycling and others. I also regard her as (arguably) the greatest British cyclist of either sex.
Though Nicole’s actions, results and book helped change things for the better in the U.K., the people who tried to destroy her career are still in post and being funded by taxpayers. Has anything really changed? Have their mindsets changed? I doubt it.
Why has no man ever been called to account for their (in)actions in a court of law in relation to cycling in the U.K. Doesn’t ‘malfeasance in public office’ apply, eg when using public money to ‘secretly’ support a commercial enterprise (Team Sky)? How about the constant holidays at taxpayers expense (sorry… ‘warm weather training camps’) that repeatedly failed to get a single male rider over the line at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games- competitions won by Nicole riding alone without a U.K. funded coach or the need for a ‘follow the sun’ luxury lifestyle?
IMHO Nicole Cooke is the greatest female cyclist of all time. I know / know of the other contenders, but I always come back to Nicole for her hard work, incredible cycling brain and unbelievable dedication / results in the face of deliberate obstruction and betrayal by British Cycling and others. I also regard her as (arguably) the greatest British cyclist of either sex.
Though Nicole’s actions, results and book helped change things for the better in the U.K., the people who tried to destroy her career are still in post and being funded by taxpayers. Has anything really changed? Have their mindsets changed? I doubt it.
January 20, 2021
The first British rider to win a Grand Tour and the first to be UCI World No.1 - something a lot of people didn't know (including me, sadly).
Cooke's career story describes a painful number of obstacles created by institutional sexism in British Cycling and related organisations. A number of senior figures of the sport, including Dave Brailsford, do not come out of this book well (although the case against him seems to mainly relate to his failure to keep promises and general lack of interest in women's cycling, whereas for some other bigwigs the charges are of deliberate obstruction and malice). The money and effort that was invested in British men, in terms of special teams, training camps, equipment and other support, while ignoring the basic needs of the women (despite them often having the more promising athletes), is quite something.
The book is definitely an education. Plenty of frustration comes through, which is good because there are enough dull and safe sporting autobiographies around which say nothing at all. There's quite a lot of race detail, which is mostly quite interesting. Not too much detail about her own thoughts and feelings, apart from in relation to winning and losing, and not really anything about her personal life, but it's very much about her cycling career and its challenges specifically.
Cooke's career story describes a painful number of obstacles created by institutional sexism in British Cycling and related organisations. A number of senior figures of the sport, including Dave Brailsford, do not come out of this book well (although the case against him seems to mainly relate to his failure to keep promises and general lack of interest in women's cycling, whereas for some other bigwigs the charges are of deliberate obstruction and malice). The money and effort that was invested in British men, in terms of special teams, training camps, equipment and other support, while ignoring the basic needs of the women (despite them often having the more promising athletes), is quite something.
The book is definitely an education. Plenty of frustration comes through, which is good because there are enough dull and safe sporting autobiographies around which say nothing at all. There's quite a lot of race detail, which is mostly quite interesting. Not too much detail about her own thoughts and feelings, apart from in relation to winning and losing, and not really anything about her personal life, but it's very much about her cycling career and its challenges specifically.
August 15, 2014
Fantastic read by a fantastic cyclist. One of the best cycling books I've read yet.
I knew Nicole faced a lot of adversity in her astounding career but I didn't appreciate how much of that came from the cycling establishment in the UK - I've never been so angry reading a book!
There are some great blow by blow accounts of races and finishes discussing tacticts that would be of interst to non-cyclists also.
Nicole is very open and honest - she's lavish with praise for those in her opinion deserve support and mention, and equally damning of those that have obstructed womens cycling in the UK - mostly the male dominated institution of British Cycling.
You can really feel the exasperation coming through but also the passion for cycling, for winning, and for creating a thriving scene for womens cycling in the UK and continent. Since Nicole was fighting on her own for so long, and this is something very close to her heart, I'd be really interested in hearing the viewpoint of British Cycling and also the other riders from HTC / Cervelo teams who dominated the 2011-12 seasons for a balanced view.
Saying that, her writing doesn't come off as one-sided or transparently venting steam - there are some very clear questions that need answers.
I knew Nicole faced a lot of adversity in her astounding career but I didn't appreciate how much of that came from the cycling establishment in the UK - I've never been so angry reading a book!
There are some great blow by blow accounts of races and finishes discussing tacticts that would be of interst to non-cyclists also.
Nicole is very open and honest - she's lavish with praise for those in her opinion deserve support and mention, and equally damning of those that have obstructed womens cycling in the UK - mostly the male dominated institution of British Cycling.
You can really feel the exasperation coming through but also the passion for cycling, for winning, and for creating a thriving scene for womens cycling in the UK and continent. Since Nicole was fighting on her own for so long, and this is something very close to her heart, I'd be really interested in hearing the viewpoint of British Cycling and also the other riders from HTC / Cervelo teams who dominated the 2011-12 seasons for a balanced view.
Saying that, her writing doesn't come off as one-sided or transparently venting steam - there are some very clear questions that need answers.
August 4, 2024
Gives a good insight into how little attention womens cycling got in the wrap in which Cooke raced. Even now Wiggins is said to be the first British winner of the Tour (he is of course the first male winner). It's shame that the money and prestige that women's cycling now has was not able to be enjoyed by such an elite rider. British cycling does not come out of this account well, Cooke seems to have been someone of a parish, as a women and a road rider and someone who does seem rather stubborn and unwilling to bend to authority
I found it surprising that there's no mention of power metres, which became common during her career. It also surprised me that Cooke didn't have a dedicated coach or trainer for such a long time. Nutrition is barely ever mentioned, not are specific training routines. She often complains of being over trained which led me to wonder whether she could have achieved even more in her career and whether that contributed to her later injury problems
It's a shame that so little of her career is documented on YouTube, I wanted to look up the key races she mentions but there sadly seems to be little footage available. All the more reason to read her autobiography. She should be celebrated much more widely
I found it surprising that there's no mention of power metres, which became common during her career. It also surprised me that Cooke didn't have a dedicated coach or trainer for such a long time. Nutrition is barely ever mentioned, not are specific training routines. She often complains of being over trained which led me to wonder whether she could have achieved even more in her career and whether that contributed to her later injury problems
It's a shame that so little of her career is documented on YouTube, I wanted to look up the key races she mentions but there sadly seems to be little footage available. All the more reason to read her autobiography. She should be celebrated much more widely
January 30, 2018
A fascinating biography of the best British cyclist you've never heard of.
I'm astonished to admit that I knew very little about Nicole Cooke's illustrious cycling career. In her biography, Nicole gives a brutally honest account of the challenges she's faced, both on and off the bike, which goes some way towards explaining why she's the best British cyclist you've probably never heard of.
An inspiring and thought provoking read and highly recommended, not just for fans of cycling, but for fans of all sports.
#ThisGirlCan (and did so a long time before that hash tag became popular).
I'm astonished to admit that I knew very little about Nicole Cooke's illustrious cycling career. In her biography, Nicole gives a brutally honest account of the challenges she's faced, both on and off the bike, which goes some way towards explaining why she's the best British cyclist you've probably never heard of.
An inspiring and thought provoking read and highly recommended, not just for fans of cycling, but for fans of all sports.
#ThisGirlCan (and did so a long time before that hash tag became popular).
January 28, 2023
Criminally unsupported, underrated, and unacknowledged. But despite it all, Nicole still has a list of astonishing achievements and firsts on her palmares. This is a clear-minded account of her cycling career, vividly recounting her many victories and occasional disappointments. It also fizzes with anger at those who stood in the way, either through incompetence, cowardice, or malice. Talent on the bike is only half the story, recognising early on that to succeed she would have be her own advocate and create her own path to a professional career, claiming the highest prizes available along the way.
February 15, 2018
The best autobiography I've ever read, it was so much more than a book about Nicole. I wanted to throw the book across the room half the time, cry at others and at special victories I got goosebumps. This book is a must for any sportsperson or athlete, British sport has so far to come as I refuse to believe that this insane and infuriating level of sexism is limited to cycling. We can all do more and Nicole's example in this book has already encouraged me to be so much more active in my cycle clubs. Thanks for the journey x
July 29, 2023
I knew very little about Nicole Cooke's career before reading this book. Considering the success that she achieved during her career, it is shocking that she isn't more widely known or recognised. I think the book could have done with some trimming down in points and I don't think that everything that went against her was a miscarriage of justice, but she was definitely treated very badly, which makes her success even more remarkable. An incredible story from one of the most underappreciated athletes in this country.
June 10, 2021
Finished this a couple of months ago and wanted to write a longer review about this important book but never got around to it. Like any top sportsperson she is talented, driven and a bit blinkered.
I wish the sport of cycling treated women’s racing better and this remains essential reading for those in the sport.
Little on the personal beyond immediate cycling connections but an interesting insight.
I wish the sport of cycling treated women’s racing better and this remains essential reading for those in the sport.
Little on the personal beyond immediate cycling connections but an interesting insight.
October 24, 2024
By far, the best sporting autobiography I have had the pleasure of reading. Nicole's strength and resilience shone through the pages as she coped with injury and the mental demands of competing at the highest levels in sport, whilst constantly being hampered by the blinkered sexism and mis-management of British Cycling. It genuinely brought tears to my eyes at times.
Chapeau Nicole, chapeau!
Chapeau Nicole, chapeau!
May 17, 2023
A gripping and honest memoir. I loved it and read it in one sitting. Parts of it made me angry for her at the way she was treated but she became a champion in spite of the obstacles put in her way.
July 27, 2018
Excruciatingly detailed trip through the early years of the women's side of British Cycling through the eyes of one of the truly great and under appreciated sport stars of this country.
March 30, 2019
Puts british male cycling to shame. Well done Nicole.
August 16, 2025
incredible read, it was so inspiring and also made me so angry about the gender inequality in professional cycling. could not put this book down, 5/5
January 7, 2026
Extraordinary career and truly inspiring read from Nicole Cooke.
December 9, 2014
There is a great Scottish word to describe Nicole Cooke, feisty. To be a truly great champion you need physical ability, intelligence and the mental toughness to overcome adversity whatever its source. Nicole certainly had a lot with injuries, team problems and suffering the marginalisation of female road racing by British Cycling. She fought and overcame all of this to win a peerless list of victories that rank alongside Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish. Add to all this a strong and laudable stance against drugs. How many more races might she have won if it hadn’t been for the drug cheats and why she was never nominated for SPOTI? She should have been.
I did wonder if sometimes she might have done better by being more devious, subtle and cunning when dealing with authorities but that just wasn’t her style. As always there are two sides to every ‘story’ and it would be fascinating to read British Cycling’s take on events. Her preparation and analysis of races is forensic and she probably knows more than anyone about road race preparations at the highest level. She would make a brilliant team manager, but a job offer from British Cycling does not seem likely. She has had a stellar career and whatever she does next I wish her well and hope she finds contentment. Her book gives an interesting insight into the workings of British Cycling; the impression is that as time went by things got better. She certainly could not be ignored when she was Olympic and World Champion in the same year. Although Nicole deserves all her awards her parents deserve equal recognition for their unswerving and dedicated support. Anyone interested in sport would enjoy this book.
I did wonder if sometimes she might have done better by being more devious, subtle and cunning when dealing with authorities but that just wasn’t her style. As always there are two sides to every ‘story’ and it would be fascinating to read British Cycling’s take on events. Her preparation and analysis of races is forensic and she probably knows more than anyone about road race preparations at the highest level. She would make a brilliant team manager, but a job offer from British Cycling does not seem likely. She has had a stellar career and whatever she does next I wish her well and hope she finds contentment. Her book gives an interesting insight into the workings of British Cycling; the impression is that as time went by things got better. She certainly could not be ignored when she was Olympic and World Champion in the same year. Although Nicole deserves all her awards her parents deserve equal recognition for their unswerving and dedicated support. Anyone interested in sport would enjoy this book.
February 24, 2016
No one describes the action inside the race as well as Nicole Cooke. Every race is described with fascinating details and had me on the edge of my seat - even the ones where I knew the result!
Outside the racing the story is nearly as fascinating as we read about the doping, neglect and poor financing of women's cycling. Nicole falls out with so many people that at times you start to wonder "Maybe it's her!". But I was left feeling that yes, it was her - she just wasn't going to sit back and be treated the way that people thought female athletes should be treated.
Outside the racing the story is nearly as fascinating as we read about the doping, neglect and poor financing of women's cycling. Nicole falls out with so many people that at times you start to wonder "Maybe it's her!". But I was left feeling that yes, it was her - she just wasn't going to sit back and be treated the way that people thought female athletes should be treated.
February 19, 2016
A good, interesting, read. British Cycling doesn't come out of it too well. And Nicole's career also highlights the latent sexism in sports coverage - that sport is for men by men. Cooke is the best British cyclist we've ever had yet she isn't nearly so well known as Wiggins or Froome.
May 8, 2016
Great book; most underrated British sporting woman ever.
September 26, 2016
A frank account of women's cycling and the difficulties faced by one of Britain's most successful female cyclists, Nicole Cooke. Damning of some in the sport and inspiring to others.
December 4, 2016
amazing. well written nailbiting race description. sad to read that the rapant sexism and discrimination is even worse than already thought it was
Read
December 1, 2018Ooooh what a dressing down of British Cycling. Good on you Nicole. Someone put the woman in charge.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews