Rainbows in the Mud: Inside the Intoxicating World of Cyclocross

by Paul Maunder

Overview

Cyclocross is no longer cycling's hidden gem.

Its rapid growth in the USA and UK means this intense and dramatic sport is exploding into the mainstream. With a season running from September to February, cyclocross is cycling's only purely winter discipline, demanding a combination of athleticism, supreme technical skill and ruthless tactics for the muddy conditions.

In the sport's heartland of Belgium, major races attract crowds of thousands and have a carnival atmosphere fuelled by heavy drinking, ringing cowbells and pumping airhorns. Many top riders have enthusiastic fan­clubs and are national celebrities – one even had his own reality TV show. On race day, Belgian and Dutch television coverage is akin to a major football match in the UK, stretching for hours with pre­race interviews, pundits and behind-the-scenes films.

In Rainbows in the Mud, Paul Maunder spends a season soaking up the sport's rich culture and history, and mixing with the obsessive fans, celebrity riders, and old-fashioned patriarchs of the sport. Following the riders – novices, veterans, American, British – as they slog their way through the season, he captures the spirit of this flamboyant cult sport, and paints a picture so vibrant you can almost feel the mud under your feet and taste the beer, mulled wine and frites.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472925961
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/10/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	706 KB

About the Author

Ever since seeing flickering coverage of the 1984 World Road Championships from Barcelona, Paul Maunder has loved all aspects of cycle racing. He won his first race – an Under-12s cyclocross around a farmyard near Oxford, for which he won three chocolate bars – but thereafter struggled to maintain such dominance. He has studied fiction with the former Poet Laureate, been awarded a fellowship by Faber, and is a regular feature contributor to Rouleur and Peloton magazines.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Into the Forest

1 Summer Rain
2 Cross is Coming
3 The Drop of Death
4 Edgelands
5 Punks and Sharks
6 Under the Rainbow
7 The Flemish Fairground
8 An Education
9 Into the Dunes
10 The Method of Torture
11 Live Transmission
12 Storming the Citadel
13 Midwinter
14 The Deep South
15 Climbing the Mountain
16 If the Shoes Fit
17 A Lifetime

Acknowledgements
Index

Editorial Reviews

He paints a picture so vibrant you feel the mud under your feet, and taste the beer and frites.” —Soigneur

“Rainbows in the Mud is successful in telling the story of cyclocross through the characters, places, and races of the 2015/16 season. Paul Maunder's journalistic eye and skill with the written word helps bring the mud of Belgium alive and it is a fair bet many readers will be left hoping he chooses to write another book or three about the sport of cyclocross.” —Zachary Schuster, Cyclocross Magazine

“[Paul Maunder] has written a book on the winter sport's attraction and idiosyncrasies. It details the obsessive fans, the carnival-like, beer-swilling atmosphere, and revered riders.” —Cycling Weekly

“Check out Paul Maunder's book Rainbows in the Mud. Some of the finest writing you'll see in the sport of bicycle racing.” —Katie Compton, cyclocross champion

“Maunder presents a heartfelt introduction to a sport that could soon establish itself as a serious rival for several other spectator sports, giving us yet another thing for which we should thank the Belgians.” —FourFourTwo

“Maunder gives a firsthand enthusiastic insight into the two distinctly different flavors of 'cross to be experienced' in its Belgian/Dutch heartlands as well as the more participatory version on show across the pond.” —thewashingmachinepost

“If you can't make it to any races on the continent this season, this book will give you a great sense of what it's like to be there. Then you'll want to go so badly, you'll probably book a ferry/plane. I give this book five friets out of five.” —Cyclocross Handbook

“Rainbows in the Mud by Paul Maunder is a must-read for a look into the world of cyclocross.” —Women's Fitness

“In this entertaining book, Paul Maunder spends a year soaking up the sport's rich culture and intoxicating blend of intense, brutal, tactical racing and carnival atmosphere.” —Bikes Etc

“Atmospheric and evocative musings on what it is about 'cross that captures the attention.” —The Podium Cafe

From the Publisher