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Book Reviews:
Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage

Paul Kimmage became obsessed with the sport of cycling from the age of seven after watching his father compete in Irish amateur races like the RAS. He harboured the usual boyhood dreams winning the Tour de France and becoming World Champion. He effectively gave up his childhood in the pursuit of his dream of becoming a professional cyclist.

The book details his progression through the junior and amateur ranks including his exploits in the Milk Race and finishing sixth in the World Amateur Championships. His form as an amateur suggested he had a bright future in the sport. Kimmage's life at RMO as a domestique seems far from glamorous and he quickly finds life as a pro tough seemingly living in a constant state of exhaustion.

This book has been made famous for the revelations of drug abuse in cycling which Kimmage allegedly observed during his career. According to Kimmage, the use of amphetamines and later hormones is widespread, but not necessarily to ensure victory but rather to allow riders to finish the race. Kimmage paints a picture of riders as victims of a system where sponsors and race organisers pressurise riders into doping so they can meet the demands of an overcrowded racing calendar.

Kimmage himself resists the temptations of drugs for most of his first full season. It's only when he is due to race in a Criterium after his second Tour de France that he decides to take amphetamines. During the race he has to peddle with the brakes on so as not to draw attention to his hyperactive state!

The book has an optimistic ending with Kimmage leaving cycling to become a journalist. He admits to being one of the lucky ones. Many cyclists know nothing other than the sport and often have to take any job they can get when they finish racing.

The newer edition of the book also details how Kimmage has fallen out with his close friend and former hero Stephen Roche and how they are no longer on speaking terms. Many other former colleagues have turned their back on him for "spitting in the soup" and talking about drug abuse in the peloton.

Overall
An excellent read for anyone interested in professional cycling. A frank and honest account of what life is like for the majority of professionals outside the superstars. As Kimmage's father rightly points out to him in an early chapter: "this sport will cause you more pain than happiness". Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 1990.