Flying Scotsman: Cycling to Triumph Through My Darkest Hours - Softcover

Graeme Obree

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1931382727 ISBN 13: 9781931382724

Publisher: Velopress, 2005

Synopsis

Little-known Graeme Obree became international cycling’s most unlikely star, capturing the public’s imagination with his innovative engineering and design skills and unique training regiments. When he broke world records and won championships, the cycling authorities outlawed both his bike and his tucked riding position. He invented the "Superman" riding style and triumphed again. But while battling authorities and other cyclists, Obree was also battling a much more serious threat: bipolar disorder. In The Flying Scotsman, Obree tells his remarkable story with brutal honesty and unexpected humor. Beginning with his troubled childhood in Ayrshire, where the bike was his only escape, Obree recounts his turbulent life and career, describing what drove him to not only break records, but to attempt suicide on three separate occasions. Long known for his courage on the track, here Obree demonstrates a different kind of courage as he movingly lays bare his struggle with manic depression.

About this title

About the Author

Graeme Obree stunned the international cycling world in 1993 when he emerged from obscurity to set a new world hour record, considered to be the most difficult and exalted of cycling titles. Riding a bike of his own design in his innovative “superman” riding position, Obree was an iconoclast, inventor, and superbly talented athlete.

Yet his lengthy struggle with manic depression nearly ended his life. Obree’s compelling story, from his escape of a troubled childhood to thrilling head-to-head duels on the world’s cycling stage, is told with complete candor and unexpected humor. But even as he rose to become a major star on the European racing circuit, the inner demons that once spurred him to greatness suddenly turned against him, and he was plunged into suicidal despair.

Obree tells of the hard-fought road to cycling stardom and the even harder road to recovery, sharing an inspirational story that will resonate with readers everywhere.

Edition details

• Publisher: Velopress
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1931382727
• ISBN 13: 9781931382724
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 244