Book description
REG HARRIS, whose statue overlooks the Manchester Velodrome, is the
legend who all track cyclists want to emulate. He was a poor,
working-class boy born in the Depression who escaped the Lancashire
mills to utterly dominate his sport. He triumphed as world champion an
incredible five times between 1947 and 1954 and performed
medal-winning heroics at the London Olympics.
At his peak he was the most adored sportsman in the country, a
British cycling superstar, attracting huge crowds, sponsorship, and
the company of the rich and famous. But, fiercely driven and
ruthlessly single-minded, Harris had a dark side. His was a
sensational life fuelled by an insatiable need for money, celebrity,
fast cars and beautiful women that constantly threatened to destroy
him.
Following an exhaustive investigation, Robert Dineen has uncovered
an epic sporting rise and fall - a story more astounding than anyone
had known.
Robert Dineen is a sports journalist with the
Daily Telegraph
. He has previously worked for
The Times
,
The Sunday Times
and
GQ,
and has won prizes in several prestigious competitions, including the
Vogue Young Writer of the Year and The Irish Post Young Sports Writer of
the Year. Robert, a keen cyclist, is 33 years old and lives in London.
