Sports Poets Society

The British cycling icon talks James Shrubsall through her astonishing journey, on and off the bike “I HAD TO LET GO OF THE EGO AND THE AMBITION,  THE ATTITUDE. IT WAS TIME TO MOVE ON” 4 Dec 2025 -  Cycling Weekly “I ENJOYED THE SPEED AND THE DANGER AND THE EXCITEMENT” These days most British bike racing fans can easily reel off handfuls of worldbeating home nation luminaries. So much so, it’s becoming hard to remember when British cycling had practically zero presence on the Continent. But that’s how it was: in the 1980s, you could count on one hand all the UK riders you might spot at the Tour de France. One rider you most certainly would have included in that tally was Philippa York – known then as Robert Millar . Glasgow-born York became the most successful British pro in years, with Tour de France stage wins and a historic fourth on GC, plus the mountains classification win in 1984 elevating her to superstar status among British fans. At the same time, York was enduring ...

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/writing-this-book-was-emotional-and-at-times-difficult-philippa-york-and-david-walsh-win-william-hill-sports-book-of-the-year-2025 Pair win prestigious sports book award for The Escape: The Tour, the Cyclist and Me By Adam Becket published 26 November 2025 Philippa York  has said writing  The Escape: The Tour, the Cyclist and Me  was "emotional and at times difficult" after she won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2025. The  Tour de France  travelogue-cum-memoir, co-written with  Irish journalist David Walsh , reflects on topics including doping, gender and sports psychology. The Escape , which includes exploration of York's 11 appearances at the Tour between 1983 and 1993, was written by the pair after travelling together during recent editions of the French races. The award has run since 1989, and is awarded to the best sports book published in the UK. "I’m quite surprised to win the William Hill Sports Book of t...

4 Sep 2025 Cycling Weekly Should be a white sunglasses-themed jersey.  - Gregory Samuel Hilton What a career this great professional has had!  Never seen him stressed ever in interviews on Eurosport etc!  Even after all the crashes and pressure in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France.  He will be missed.  - John Burleigh Looking forward to seeing this from the roadside.  - Graham Dolman Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe riding into Paris, Thomas in the yellow jersey, holding the Welsh flag aloft between them, is one of Welsh sport’s magical moments.  Reading about how as kids they would belt around Cardiff pretending to be in the Tour and then seeing that ultimate realisation has me welling up every time (including now).  - Mike Cross Super G – happy retirement and wishing you well!  One great rider in the golden era of British cycling!  The people’s champ.  - Robin Pegden Geraint Thomas and Welsh snooker player Mark Williams are pr...

(Image credit: Getty Images) https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/tadej-pogacar-might-be-the-favourite-for-milan-san-remo-but-it-will-be-tricky-to-pull-off-the-win?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=null&fbclid=IwY2xjawJHo9dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHWmaIBeYE1bbCY4eSWLpriYqTV_ODl5rOwgIBnKFN7OOpQXUD2rYY9h-iw_aem_vf2bRCp8mcfZLQ0FAIHb_Q The world champion can seemingly do it all, but Milan-San Remo might even be beyond him By Adam Becket March 18,2025 There is a probably apocryphal quote attributed to the Greek historian Plutarch, and Alexander the Great, that you’ll have heard, which goes along the lines of “When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer”. The dubious line does not quite apply to Tadej Pogačar , yet. The world champion might have won a lot - including Liège-Bastogne-Liège , the Giro d’Italia , the Tour de France , the World Championships , and Il Lombardia last year - but there...

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/epic-days-floods-at-the-1985-tour-of-flanders-213779 With fewer than 25 riders making it to the finish , the 1985 Ronde van Vlaanderen was brutal even by Flandrian standards, writes Mick McMahon Nigel Wynn , Cycling Weekly April 1, 2016 Early spring is a time when fair-weather cyclists emerge from their winter hibernation expecting dry roads, milder days and fewer saddle hours spent battling the elements. It seems, however, that such seasonal changes do not always apply to the climate of northern Belgium. In its 103-year history, the Tour of Flanders has been the stage for some of the most dramatically weather-affected races cycling has seen. Despite originally falling at the end of May , the race has built such a reputation for rain, wind and freezing conditions that the term ‘Flandrian’ has come to define both extreme conditions and the hardmen who thrive in them. “It was as cold as Siberia all day and the rain fell in torrents,” wrote...

Celebrating King Kelly’s career and continued work in cycling Cycling Weekly -- December 5, 2019 With 160 career victories across a variety of Grand Tours, Monuments and one-week stage races , the decision to give Cycling Weekly ’s Lifetime Achievement award to Sean Kelly was fairly easy. When Cycling Weekly asks the ever humble Kelly what the highlight is from a long and illustrious career his response that there are a ‘number of highlights’ is an understatement. But a few races stand out more than most: “I think when I won my first Paris-Roubaix that is probably the one I cherish most . I remember quite a lot of it too. I was in excellent shape and I remember during the race when the peloton was getting smaller and smaller I wanted to attack with about 60 kilometres from the finish. I spoke to my DS Jean de Gribaldy and he said, ‘Are you crazy? You are totally mad to do that, just follow the field and other favourites and stay in the front and wait.’” Having...

CYCLING WEEKLY - 2018 GIRO PREVIEW Cycling Weekly |May 3, 2018    There have been many instances of foreign riders having to ride the gauntlet of the tifosi at the Giro d’Italia, going right back to the inter-war years. What was undoubtedly the most infamous instance, though, occurred in 1987, when Ireland’s Stephen Roche lined up with the Italian Carrera team as co-leader alongside defending champion and crowd favourite Roberto Visentini .  The pair both held the lead, Visentini seemingly taking a decisive grip on it when he crushed Roche and the rest of the field in a long time trial at San Marino. Yet, two days later, Roche struck back, defying team orders and the unwritten laws of cycling with a solo attack that saw Visentini crumble and the Irishman back in the maglia rosa . Now Roche had a very different enemy to face up to, as his loyal team-mate Eddy Schepers recalls. “If he hadn’t taken the jersey that day at Sappada, I think they would have sent us...

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/famous-last-words-stephen-roche-23314 Cycling Weekly  November 14, 2013 5:23 pm The 1987 Tour de France winner is proud of his training camp business, 
of charity sportive Tour de Cure, but most of all, of his son Nicolas In the early part of my career, people would say, “ Roche is OK, but he can’t suffer .” The truth is, my pedalling style never really gave much away. It wasn’t intentional, I was just naturally very supple and didn’t throw shapes, even when I was digging really deep. If I could relive any race it would be Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 1987. I had it won and I lost it in the last 100 yards . I should have trusted my instincts but because I’d been second in Paris-Nice, second in the Mediterranean from going too early, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. I was focused on [Claude] Criquielion, and then [Moreno] Argentin mugged us both. I rode with some of cycling’s greats but I never had a fierce rivalry...