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The Cycling Addiction

Suffering, Speed and the Search for Meaning on Two Wheels

The Cycling Addiction cover

The Cycling Addiction

Suffering, Speed and the Search for Meaning on Two Wheels

Quantity
Pre-order. Available Jul 30 2026
$18.00

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

Description

'Cavell is a fount of cycling knowledge' CYCLING WEEKLY

'Offers not just insight into what drives us to ride, but also a vocabulary for understanding when that drive becomes too much' DR MICHAEL LIEBRENZ

'I am blown away by the level of detail Phil Cavell brings to his work' ELINOR BARKER MBE

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE MIDLIFE CYCLIST - WHY WE SUFFER, WHY WE RIDE

'Make pain your friend' is the mantra of cyclists everywhere – but what lies behind our willingness to suffer?

In The Cycling Addiction, bestselling author and bike-fit pioneer Phil Cavell takes you inside the mindset of riders who chase the edge. From weekend warriors to legends of the peloton, he explores the obsession with performance, pain and progression that defines the sport.

Through compelling stories and insights from leading thinkers and icons – including Philippa York, Chris Boardman, Sean Yates, Joe Pidcock and Peter Keen – Cavell uncovers the powerful psychological forces that drive us to push harder, ride faster and go further than we thought possible.

Provocative, relatable and deeply insightful, this is a book about more than cycling – it's about ambition, identity and the addictive pursuit of improvement.Because the very instinct that drives you can also transform you.

Ride fast. Be lucky. Stay humble.

Table of Contents

1. Prologue
2. The Thing (aka The Brain): Bike-racing is just nature's way of making another bike-racer
3. The Blackbox Cyclist: A bike-racer's algorithm
4. An Impulse to Go: The creation of motivation and intention
5. An Impulse to Stop: Central Governor Theory
6. When is Too Much: Am I an addict?
7. Machines That Go Ping: Hooked-on maths
8. Blue-Print or Recipe: God in your own skin-sack?
9. Escaping the Algorithm: The road to freedom, 12 Steps

Product details

Published Jul 30 2026
Format Audiobook
Duration 8 hours and 0 minutes
ISBN 9781399419215
Imprint Bloomsbury Sport
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Phil Cavell

Phil Cavell is joint founder of the pioneering Cyc…

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Environment: Staging