Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been writing about cycling for 30 years and over that time I’ve become increasingly fascinated by the exploits of bike racers in the mountains and, above all, by this magnificent terrain itself. This ultimately led to my family leaving our home in the north of England and moving to the French Pyrenees, to a tiny hamlet that’s close to nowhere but is surrounded by mountains, where we can walk and ride endlessly through stunning countryside. I may not be French, but this is where I feel most at home.


I wrote

Climbers: How the Kings of the Mountains Conquered Cycling

By Peter Cossins,

Book cover of Climbers: How the Kings of the Mountains Conquered Cycling

What is my book about?

Drawing on reports covering more than a century of cycle sport as well as one-to-one interviews with some of the…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Mountains of the Mind

Peter Cossins Why did I love this book?

I’ve been drawn to the mountains since I was a child and reading this book helped hugely in explaining my fascination with this terrain.

It details how man was initially fearful of the mountains and how that situation changed from the 17th century on, and looks at early attempts to explore and understand these highlands, with a particular focus on mountaineering. It’s beautifully written and very engaging.

By Robert Macfarlane,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Mountains of the Mind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD

Once we thought monsters lived there. In the Enlightenment we scaled them to commune with the sublime. Soon, we were racing to conquer their summits in the name of national pride.

In this ground-breaking, classic work, Robert Macfarlane takes us up into the mountains: to experience their shattering beauty, the fear and risk of adventure, and to explore the strange impulses that have for centuries lead us to the world's highest places.


Book cover of Higher Calling: Cycling's Obsession with Mountains

Peter Cossins Why did I love this book?

I did a short promotional book tour with Max and was enthralled by his descriptions of road cycling’s obsession with the mountains.

I read his book subsequently and was equally captivated, particularly by his travels in remote areas of the southern French Alps and on Bonette-Restefond pass, the highest road pass in Europe.

By Max Leonard,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Higher Calling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why do road cyclists go to the mountains? Many books tell you where the mountains are, or how long and how high. None of them ask 'Why?'

After all, cycling up a mountain is hard - so hard that, to many non-cyclists, it can seem absurd. But, for some, climbing a mountain gracefully (and beating your competitors up the slope) represents the pinnacle of cycling achievement. The mountains are where legends are forged and cycling's greats make their names.

Why are Europe's mountain ranges professional cycling's Wembley Stadium or its Colosseum? Why do amateurs also make a pilgrimage to these…


Book cover of Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy

Peter Cossins Why did I love this book?

Tim has long been one of the funniest writers to cover the cycling scene and its many quirks.

All of his books are very readable, but this one stands out for me because it gets to the heart of the horrendous difficulties and dangers that riders in the early 20th century faced when racing in the mountains.

Tim follows the route of the 1914 Giro d’Italia, and does so on a bike from that era. His tales of how he came by bike and then builds up are hilariously recounted, then lead into the ride itself on what is widely recognized as the toughest multi-day race the sport has ever seen, only eight of 81 starters finishing the event. It’s laugh-out-loud funny.

By Tim Moore,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The 1914 Giro d’Italia: The hardest bike race in history. Eighty-one riders started and only eight finished after enduring cataclysmic storms, roads strewn with nails, and even the loss of an eye by one competitor. And now Tim Moore is going to ride it. And he’s committed to total authenticity. . .

Twelve years after Tim Moore toiled around the route of the Tour de France, he senses his achievement being undermined by the truth about 'Horrid Lance'. His rash response is to take on a fearsome challenge from an age of untarnished heroes: the notorious 1914 Giro d'Italia. History's…


Book cover of Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

Peter Cossins Why did I love this book?

Written by my oldest friend within the cycling press corps, this book focuses on the most feared and infamous mountain in professional bike racing.

The Ventoux literally stands apart, located right at the end of a chain of peaks that runs from the Alps to the very edge of the Rhône valley. Its lunar surface is raked by the violent Mistral wind that blows down the valley from the north and baked by blistering heat in the summer. It’s seen death, heroics and always produces a gripping contest.

Jeremy’s book has a personal side too, as he’s long had a home just to the south of the mountain and he offers an insider’s perspective on this unique peak.

By Jeremy Whittle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ventoux as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'They're all scared. Everybody's afraid' - Eddy Merckx
'Nothing compares to the Ventoux' - Lance Armstrong
'Heart-stirring and jaw-dropping in equal measure' - Tim Moore
'A really excellent book' - Richard Williams

The French call Ventoux 'the killer mountain' and in 1967 it claimed its most famous victim, as former world champion Tom Simpson died near the summit during that year's Tour de France. The terrible ascent of Ventoux's south side encapsulates both the brutality and beauty of this cruel sport, but also highlights cycling's ongoing battle to distance itself from its demons.

Yet it was the legendary and extreme…


Book cover of The Giro d'Italia: Coppi vs. Bartali at the 1949 Tour of Italy

Peter Cossins Why did I love this book?

This book recounts the epic battle between long-time rivals Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi at the 1949 Giro d’Italia.

Buzzati was a journalist and novelist, and he depicts this duel beautifully as the race travels through a country that’s still ravaged by and coming to terms with the devastation caused during World War Two.

By Dino Buzatti,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Giro d'Italia as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the first account of Giro d''Italia p ublished in English which includes maps and illustrations of the legendary 1949 Tour of Italy. '


Explore my book 😀

Climbers: How the Kings of the Mountains Conquered Cycling

By Peter Cossins,

Book cover of Climbers: How the Kings of the Mountains Conquered Cycling

What is my book about?

Drawing on reports covering more than a century of cycle sport as well as one-to-one interviews with some of the greatest climbers of recent times including Tadej Pogačar, Dan Martin, Philippa York, Jonas Vingegaard, and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, Climbers offers a comprehensive perspective of the most enthralling of bike racers, the sport’s artists on two wheels.

Relive iconic stages, revel in tales of incredible characters, and understand the passion and pain of these high-rise performers in the sport’s most majestic and forbidding arenas.

You might also like...

Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

By Mimi Zieman,

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Mimi Zieman Author Of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an OB/GYN, passionate about adventuring beyond what’s expected. This has led me to pivot multiple times in my career, now focusing on writing. I’ve written a play, The Post-Roe Monologues, to elevate women’s stories. I cherish the curiosity that drives outer and inner exploration, and I love memoirs that skillfully weave the two. The books on this list feature extraordinary women who took risks, left comfort and safety, and battled vulnerability to step into the unknown. These authors moved beyond the stories they’d believed about themselves–or that others told about them. They invite you to think about living fuller and bigger lives. 

Mimi's book list on women exploring the world and self

What is my book about?

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up the East Face without the use of supplemental oxygen, Sherpa support, or chance for rescue. When three climbers disappear during their summit attempt, Zieman reaches the knife edge of her limits and digs deeply to fight for the climbers’ lives and to find her voice.


Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

By Mimi Zieman,

What is this book about?

The plan was outrageous: A small team of four climbers would attempt a new route on the East Face of Mt. Everest, considered the most remote and dangerous side of the mountain, which had only been successfully climbed once before. Unlike the first large team, Mimi Zieman and her team would climb without using supplemental oxygen or porter support. While the unpredictable weather and high altitude of 29,035 feet make climbing Everest perilous in any condition, attempting a new route, with no idea of what obstacles lay ahead, was especially audacious. Team members were expected to push themselves to their…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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