Faster: The Obsession, Science and Luck Behind the World's Fastest Cyclists Kindle Edition

I originally thought that this book was just another cycling training guide that would lead the reader through various workouts and drills to get faster. But it's not, and for that I am grateful.Instead, Faster is a fantastic exploration of the many techniques used throughout the years to help top-level cyclists gain critical seconds and an explanation of the scientific reasoning behind them, as well as an explanation of what works and what doesn't.Unlike a normal training book, Faster repeatedly points out that the methods described probably won't be of much use to amateur cyclists, since many of the methods are effective for elite level athletes only and even then yield very small gains. That still didn't stop me from being engrossed in the descriptions Michael offers of beet juice, ice baths, altitude tents and dietary supplements, among other things. These are all discussed in very informal language with only glimpses of the complex science underlying them. And each chapter is interspersed with descriptions of Michael's own impressive pro cycling career and what he attempted and where he failed, but filled with self-deprecating humor and modest descriptions of Michael's phenomenal speed.One might think that a book discussing VO2 max ratios and the different muscle fiber types, as well as wind yaw as it relates to wind tunnel testing would be unbelievably dry, but Hutchinson writes with a very easy-going style and manages to include quite a few humorous quotes and examples of the famous British dry wit. Some of my favorite quotes include:"It's a waste of time drinking organic cherry juice if you're using it to wash down a Big Mac""I wrote my first book because of the sitting about. I thought it was either that or learn the guitar, and I thought the book would annoy people less""For years there was an unkind rumor that at my first national squad lab assessment, after I'd done the sprint test the coach said 'Yes, just like that, but actually sprint this time'""Pig racing happens in several US states, generally in areas where the audience hasn't been tempted away by subsidized opera"So even though the ideas presented in this book probably won't make the average amateur rider any faster, it's still a very interesting read and gives a glimpse of the lengths that professional riders will go to achieve marginal gains. I would highly recommend to anyone who's a cycling fan or any cyclist who has ever wondered just what it would take to make themselves into the next Bradley Wiggins or Chris Froome.

I'm someone who loves digging into the science of training. Like the author, I spend a lot of time and energy learning and experiment with strategies that ought to make me go faster on the bike. This book is not an overview of what you should do. It's more a memoir by someone who has walked this path before. I found it humorous, insightful, and fun. When I reached the end, I was sad. It was a damn good book.

The book represents a consolidation of training plan tips with practical outcome examples that most enthusiastic riders are informed about, but such consolidation makes this book worth to get and read. Don't forget the highlighting and commenting features of Kindle reader - you'll most probably need to using those. as in my case.Please don't forget to double-check with the results of most recent studies those advises you are decided to follow. Just include the word "pubmed", so the web search engine brings the references to the original publications on top of the search result list(s).Also, for the Kindle version of the book, the author, in my opinion, had to put the updates about the doping usage under so called "therapeutic use exception" and particularly state what presented in the book as "clean" cyclist Bradley Wiggins was in reality using heavy potent steroids without informing the competitors.Anyway, the book is the Must read to help making your cycling knowledge and training plans comprehensive

he gives a GREAT introduction to "components" that contribute to riding. By "components," I mean cardio, aerobic, neuromuscular, etc systems. His descriptions are detailed enough to give hints at my weaknesses and this book is probably a trigger for my next levels of training. As a 47 YO looking to improve on my double-century times, I am learning that my physical strength is probably declining; I need to be more effective and work on my weak areas. GREAT BOOK!

I've read "The Cyclist's Training Bible" (multiple times), "Racing and Training with a Power Meter", and the "Power Meter Handbook", etc.Those are all well and great, but this was a perfect next step (for this category 1 road racer)."Faster" seems like the next logical step once you're beyond the basics, and want to dig deeper.However there are no training "recipes" in this book, it's all at a higher-level - read this if you really want to understand high performance cycling. It's kind of a mix of anecdotes, data, and science, but all very digestible.It's hard to say what key take-aways there are in this book, but then again it's not a "manual" type of book like the others I mentioned.. I should probably read it again!

As an age group athlete with a background of getting somewhat close to sports achievements worth writing about when I was younger, I find much to recognize in this book. Michael uses lots of dry humor to describe his own journey while all the while providing great insight into the latest developments. The book is about cyclists, but the knowledge can easily be applied to any endurance sport. I'd highly recommend it to any coach, or an athlete looked for a really good read while lying on the couch recovering (and enough recovery is one of the main points of the book).

I really enjoyed this book. Interesting information on different aspects that make a cyclist go fast with humor and easy reading style.

The author explains modern training and testing in general details and its departure from half hazard tradition. It encourages me to stick to a program of specificity to my intended discipline. His primary focus is endurance and TT but he covers track sprinting hear and there and shares basic methodology and science from the GB and Sky team and others with the quest for marginal gains. I really liked it.

If you're a runner, a triathlete, or especially a cyclist, this is the book for you. The legendary Dr Hutch walks us through the art and science of producing a world class cyclist, with frequent references both to the author's own experience as the dominant athlete in domestic time trialling in the UK for many years and to the extraordinarily successful British Cycling approach which scooped almost all the Olympic track medals, a good proportion of the road medals and a couple of Tours de France over the last few years. For a book about the science of training this is amazingly easy to read, and the authors self-deprecating sense of humour really shines through as he takes us through the basic biology of performance, training, nutrition, coaching, psychology and genetics.This isn't really a book on how to train, or a sports science book. It's really an overview of how the whole fits together, and an explanation of the philosophy that's been so successful for the GB cyclists, often contrasted entertainingly with the author's own home grown attempts to do similar things. You won't come away from this book knowing what to eat and which interval sessions to do three weeks before your A race, but you will have a much better understanding of why you need to think about these things and how they contribute to your overall performance.If you are interested in endurance sport, or in how to make a faster cyclist from a slower one, you should read this book, if only so that there are fewer people who annoy me by talking rubbish about lactic acid.

I enjoyed "The Hour" by Michael and as i have always wondered why some riders can just ride fast so i thought i would give it a go! Its well written and is not over technical or scientific which i prefer and has certainly made me review my coaching advice. It also answers the questions that we all have when reviewing the results board after an event. Having been caught in time trials by Michael a few times over the years and also by many top riders over the years i realized long ago that i was not equipped to be able to ride at "49" pace and now i know why.Its a lottery and you either have it or you dont have it but good training and diet coupled with determination will take you a long way but if you don't possess all the ace cards you are not going to win any Olympic gold medals. Thanks Michael for a very interesting read and mi now reading it again.

Some really good and funny anecdotes in this book, but someone who does write very nicely (and was a superb cyclist in his own right). And some really useful information for those wanting to go faster on a cycle. However, I did find the second half of the book not as entertaining as the first, so it falls away from a five star for me. Definitely worth reading, but would I read it again? Not sure.

Highly recommended to anyone that is curious about how pro and track cycling has got faster and faster. From aerodynamics to training methods and nutrition, this book looks at most of it. Pretty funny too.

We should count ourselves lucky - a thoughtful athletes with exceptional physiology but lacking enough not to be caught by pro salaries but can use this frustration and his intelligent wit to write about it.I loved The Hour, and this is a slightly more mature (less directly funny but more consistent) book along the same lines. Dr Hutch can look back at the path his life has taken and seeks to answer why he did not break into the pro ranksIt should be remembered that this is not an above average wannabe - he is revered in the cycling world as an exceptional athletes who has won many titles