Bradley Wiggins: My Hour

Apr 20, 2025 9:58 AM

Author:Bradley Wiggins

One man, one bike, one hour. The inside story of Bradley Wiggins's record-breaking ride

For 60 minutes this summer, the British public stopped what they were doing, switched on their radios, their TVs, refreshed their Twitter feeds and followed Bradley Wiggins’s attempt to break one of sport’s most gruelling records: The Hour.

The premise is simple enough: how far can you cycle in one hour. But it is thought to be one of the toughest events an athlete can endure, both physically and psychologically. Eddy Merckx, cycling’s über-champ, called it the hardest thing he ever did. Wiggins, like many before him, discovered the unique pain of pushing yourself as hard as you can for 60 minutes.

In this revealing book, Bradley Wiggins takes you behind the scenes of his record attempt. From planning to preparation, to training to execution, Bradley shares his thoughts on his sacrifices, his heroes, and the people who have supported him along the way as well as what’s to come as he heads towards the twilight of his stellar career.

Supported by stunning photography, My Hour is a fitting celebration of one of Britain’s best-loved sportsmen in his finest hour.

Reviews

For a book based around just one hour of Wiggins’ fabled career, it’s an incredibly detailed account, and also adds a great depth to what we already know of Britain’s ‘knight on a bike’

—— Colin Henrys , Road Cycling UK

Gets to the heart of not only what it took technically for Wiggins to get to 54.52km but, crucially, how his mind was as important as his legs and lungs […] fascinating

—— Ben East , Observer

A fitting celebration of one of Britain’s best-loved sportsmen in his finest hour

—— Bikes etc.

A fascinating read.

—— Matthew Syed , The Times

From training to execution, Bradley shares his exciting story.

—— Cycling Weekly

Beautifully produced.

—— Mark Perryman , Huffington Post

An interesting read… Quality photography and production values make this a must for the Wiggo fan.

—— Cycle Sport

Bradley shares his exciting story.

—— Cycle Sport

A rich and gripping overview of how a decaying superpower worked over-time to replant and replenish its footballing roots.

—— Jonathan O’Brien , When Saturday Comes

Excellent

—— Michael Walker , Irish Times

a lively read

—— four stars , Rugby World

Terrific

—— Chris Maume , Independent

This book is a wonderful tribute to one of the greatest sporting teams that ever existed.

—— Mark Gallagher , Daily Mail

This is the definitive written history and celebration of one of sport’s most socially influential and thrilling episodes

—— Nick Pitt , Sunday Times

Evokes times when West Indian cricketers were…dominant

—— Huw Richards , Guardian

Excellent

—— Andy Bull , Observer

One of the areas in which Lister really does a fantastic job is balance of opinion. The author has his own views, some more common sense than others, but he gives column inches to all sides of a story and allows everyone a chance to state their case… here's an excellent balance between sport and life. It gives great insight into some fascinating individuals and doesn't shirk the big issues. It's comprehensive, an easy read and never overstays its welcome… This book is a must read for the cricket fan out there, full of interesting stories, tales from the tour and a really close look at one of the best sporting outfits of all-time.

—— Wexford People

Cowen is without doubt one of our best current writers on landscape, on a par with Roger Deakin, Richard Mabey and Robert MacFarlane

—— Solitary Walker blog

Wonderful … An eerie haunting book … rendered with hair-raising, almost hallucinogenic, lyricism. Cowen moves on through the seasons of the year and the creatures of the edge land, feeling, more than observing, how the improving circumstances of animal life mirror his own climb out of darkness.

—— Brian Bethune , Maclean's

Blending natural history with a novelistic approach, Cowen revives his connection to the evocative, mysterious power of the natural world.

—— Sunday Express

A luminous nature book

—— Arminta Wallace , Irish Times

Very beautiful indeed... [Cowen] has all the alliterative grace and fresh metaphors of a poet

—— Rebecca Foster , New Books

[A] poetic memoir... This apparently scrappy and overlooked piece of wasteland - a tangle of wood, meadow, field and river - proves to be, under [Cowen's] forensic and magnifying gaze, brimming with riches.

—— Ruth Campbell , Northern Echo

He is engrossed by his landscape, enthralled by the minutiae and evokes the same fascination in the reader

—— Daily Mail

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