Icons: My Inspiration. My Motivation. My Obsession.

by Bradley Wiggins

With a foreword by Eddy Merckx

The world of professional cycling is fraught with fierce competition, fervent dedication and unerring ambition, and only a handful of competitors reach iconic status. Among them is Sir Bradley Wiggins – a man uniquely placed to reflect on the history of this remarkable sport and its unforgettable titans.

In Icons, Wiggins takes the reader on an extraordinarily intimate journey through the sport, presenting key pieces from his never-before-seen collection of memorabilia. Over the course of his illustrious career, he amassed hundreds of items – often gifts from its greatest and most controversial figures. Each reflects an icon, a race or a moment that fundamentally influenced Wiggins on both a personal and professional level.

By exploring the lives and achievements of 21 of the sport’s key figures – among them Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Induráin and Tom Simpson – Wiggins sheds new light on what professional cycling demands of its best competitors. Icons lauds their triumphs, elucidates their demons and sheds light on the philosophy and psychology that comprise the unique mindset of a cycling champion.

Genres: Cycling, Sports, Nonfiction

449 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2018

Reviews

[Pete Horsefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having only recently developed a love of road cycling, it was important for me to learn about the history and the legends of the sport. Bradley sums it up nicely and his passion for the sport is evident. Like me, it is about the exhilaration on the road when you are cycling at your best and pushing hard up the hills. I related to his solitude in his character, one reason I like riding on my own. This feeling when your form is good is hard to describe. Very well presented book and one you can just pick up again I imagine. Not sure if this would be as enjoyable for someone who already knows a great deal about the sport. I really liked the way he added his own story throughout; I found that very effective. Worth a read..

[Dr K P Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it turns out that Brad Wiggins has a LOT of cycling memorabilia. Jerseys from cyclists of the past some famous, others not so much. The book is structured around these keepsakes along with details of how each rider affected Wiggins. I love the simplicity of the old jerseys especially when compared to the monstrosities worn by Armstrong later in the book (Brad has many Armstrong jerseys).

The photos are great and I’d recommend getting a hardback as coffee table fare for cycling wonks.

I enjoyed it a lot and the chapters are small enough to digest in bite size chunks. Three also the occasional dig at Froome and one at Dave Brailsford which suggests a certain lingering bitterness probably understandable as it was written that Froome held all three grand tours but “failed” the Giro tour double and Wiggins was being questioned about mystery packages.

[Martin Mccann · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who likes to portray himself as an iconoclast, it may seem strange for Bradley Wiggins to be involved in such a project. However his love for cycling, its history, protagonists, pageantry and traditions is well know and is an interesting angle to come at in thiswork. While he looks at riders from through the years who inspired him to take up what was an unfashionable sport in Britain at the time, it is part history lesson, part-autobiography.

It is well illustrated by items from his own collections, genuine jerseys worn by those who he writes about and with some interesting photos. Each rider has his own chapter (no room for Beryl Burton, which as Wiggins was essentially a time trialist who lost enough weight to stick with the climbers, is a big omission,although I suppose we can't define other folks heroes for them). The inclusion of Armstrong raised some hackles at the time but, on the flip side we can't say that the Texan didn't have an impact. Whether we like it or not he was a part of our history and it would be more dangerous to pretend he didn't exist and write him out totally. It is also where Wiggins (helped by Herbie Sykes) is able to reflect on his own experiences and how these are mirrored by the lives of the riders he is ostensibly discussing. This allows him to avoid having to deal with some of the more unsavoury episodes some of these people were involved in, normally using the formula "rider x had a difficult time on this Tour, which reminds me of when y happened to me".

In many cases Wiggins is very clear about how he liked winning the Tour but didn't like being a Tour winner, with all of the issues that caused him. There is also some insight into Froome's actions on that 2012 Tour, that while interesting, allow for more distractions away from things he may not want to talk about in regards his subjects.

In fact there are often entire chapters where the rider meant to be the topic of discussion is only mentioned at the start and the end, with the main section being about Wiggins himself. In effect this is almost an autobiography in disguise.

However the whole package does reflect the contradictions within Wiggins himself. On one hand he wants to present himself as the perennial outsider (being a cyclist from an early age, the influence of his father and mother, growing up in an age when soccer was the mainstay of sport), but on the other he still plays up the laddish persona that so many males adopt to try and fit in with some perceived notion of this is what men do. He even mentions that his favourite photo of all is Nencini having a cigarette after winning the Tour (never mind that Nencini died of cancer at 50)- the sort of stuff that really looks like someone trying hard to be cool, and as I mentioned in the beginning, an iconoclast (though how much of a laddish outsider you can be with the three letters "S", "I" and "R" in front of your name is up for debate). He wants to be seen at the centre of his sport in one way but also wants to retreat from this as well. No matter what persona he tries to adopt, this book appears to be Wiggins is still trying to find out who he is and while on the surface the main focus is supposedly on the other riders featured, behind it all is a man who is still tryign to shape an image that he can be comfortable in.

[Stu · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the cycling obsessive there won't really be much new to learn about the 21 riders looked at in this book. However, you do learn why another cycling obsessive sees them as icons. The book contains some wonderful images of the riders in question and of their jerseys now held in Wiggins' personal collections.

A lot was made of Armstrong's inclusion in this book, but not all icons are positive ones. Armstrong will always be an icon of the sport and of doping. There is a recognition throughout the book of the cyclists' flaws and those of Wiggins himself.

The book is hardly groundbreaking, but it's enjoyable read and I'm a bit of a sucker for pretty pictures of cycling gear.

[Pete Osborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. Simply the most enjoyable cycling book I have ever read.

If you love cycling, and it's history this is the book for you. I love the way that Brad has used his own collection of cycling memorabilia to weave fascinating tales linking his own performances to the greats of the sport.

I also love that this book tells the story of well known greats, like Mercx, Coppi and Anquetil, but also lesser known riders like Barry Hoban and Phil Edwards.

Great book, well written. Thank you Brad.

[Liam Cler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

Bradley Wiggins goes through an interesting list of cyclings greatest. He ties in his own race experiences and the memorabilia he’s collected over time. The riders are portrayed well, but not great. Also, the frequent over exaggerations (“best race of all time”, “most phenomenal comeback ever”, etc etc) became tiring quickly. Overall, a good read to get a taste of who some of cyclings legends are, but I much prefer the full biographies.

[John Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, a very very good book, with the only minor downers being more pokes (or re-pokes as it’s all been said before!!) at Chris Froome. The book introduced me to some riders who I’ve heard of and also tapped into Bradley’s intimate knowledge of the sport. Interesting. Loved it. Will probably work as a reference book to dip into again over time.

[Ioan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having enjoyed books by Lance Armstrong, Tyler, Geraint Thomas and some others, I decided to give this one a go as, working in the industry, not a day passes without someone recalling passionately the exploits of one rider or another.

This book on the other hand just states and no passion is felt, which is odd considering the title. Great for the doctor's waiting room.

[Nicola C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bradley Wiggins adds his name to a book and chooses his iconic cycling heroes through a memory lane of collected jerseys.
there is something incredibly beautiful and nostalgic about the champions of the greatest races of cycling and this book does a fantastic job of bringing this to the reader.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Bob Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. Lots of riders I never knew anything about before. Great photos and interesting inside knowledge from Bradley Wiggins. I love cycling and this was one for anybody who likes watching the Tours on TV

[Stuart Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, good general history of some of the cycling greats.

[Ivor Kovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for any cycling enthusiast.
Beautifully designed and well written.
Full of personal stories by Bradley Wiggins about some of the greatest cyclists of all times.

[Ashley Bard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a book to make money at Christmas.

[Barry Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of the best semi biographical history lessons in cycling you can read. I was totally engrossed, learnt some things and engaged with every chapter. Bravo Wiggo!

[Paul Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right riveting read

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on some of the legends of the cycling world, and how they influenced Bradley Wiggins.

[Alastair Gain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book beginning to end, what I liked is Brads trade mark market trader narrative no nonsense style and that he adores some of the lesser talked about interesting cycle legends

[Mark Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. A few I knew of these, others not so much. Interesting to see Armstrong included and to hear about Philippa York.

[Theo Milos · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Wiggo" mentions 21 icons from the cycling world that have inspired him.

...

[Jason Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read about some legends of the sport, I feel blowing smoke up the backside of a cheat whose biggest result is winning the 98 Tour of Luxembourg doesn’t seem the right choice.

[P1lates · Rating 1 out of 5]

Individual chapters about icons. Did not read them all.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! A must read for all the die hard cycling fans!