Author:Harriet Tuckey,Sandra Duncan
Brought to you by Penguin.
WINNER OF THE OUTSTANDING GENERAL SPORTS WRITING AWARD, BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS
WINNER OF THE BOARDMAN TASKER PRIZE
WINNER OF THE MOUNTAIN & WILDERNESS PRIZE, BANFF FESTIVAL
WINNER OF THE TONY LOTHIAN AWARD, BIOGRAPHERS' CLUB
For the first time, drawing upon previously unseen diaries and letters, rare archive material and interviews, Everest - The First Ascent tells the remarkable story of Griffith Pugh, the forgotten team member whose scientific breakthroughs ensured the world's highest mountain could be climbed. A doctor and physiologist, Griffith Pugh revolutionised almost every aspect of British high-altitude mountaineering, transforming the climbers' attitude to oxygen, the clothes they wore, their equipment, fluid intake and acclimatisation.
Yet, far from receiving the acclaim he was due, he was met with suspicion and ridicule. His scientific contributions were, quite simply, at odds with old-fashioned notions of derring-do and the gentlemanly amateurism that dogged the sport.
Later in his career, his impact in helping athletes enhance their performance lasts to this day in the fields of cycling, swimming and running.
This insightful biography shows Pugh to be troubled, abrasive, yet brilliant. Eight years in the writing, closely researched, and told with unflinching honesty by Pugh's daughter, Harriet Tuckey, Everest - The First Ascent is the compelling portrait of an unlikely hero.
© Harriett Tuckey 2013 (P) Penguin Audio 2013
Shines an entirely new light on the great expedition - a riveting read, full of surprises
—— Sir Chris BoningtonA most remarkable work about a perfectly extraordinary man. I much admire it.
—— Jan MorrisThe most important addition to the story of Everest.
—— Doug ScottUltimately the joy of At Speed is the sense that, warts and all, this is the story of a rare sportsman…who isn’t afraid to speak his mind rather than trot out the banal, PR-groomed soundbites of so many of his peers … this book speaks to both the heart and the mind of true cycling fans
—— Velo VoicesThe greatest sprinter of all time
—— Bradley WigginsThe hottest sprinter in the world
—— Telegraph[Cav is] special, the way he rides in the last metres. I don’t know exactly what it is, what makes him different, he’s just so fast
—— Eddy MerckxBritain's best ever Tour de France cyclist
—— Procycling MagazineFascinating… Without losers, there are no winners
—— London CyclistThoughtful, witty
—— Times Literary SupplementIn this lively, rear-view account of largely unsung heroes, and a few villains, Leonard has managed the difficult feat of coming up with an original angle on Le Tour
—— Simon Redfern , Independent on SundayLeonard extracts the dignity that sometimes exists in sporting failure; this is not the world of Armstrong, Keane or Pietersen and all the more appealing because of that
—— Tim Lewis , ObserverCelebratory and hilarious in equal measures, The Last Man revels in the travails of the underdog
—— Ben East , MetroThis book does a great job of revealing some of the less well known stories from le Tour: well written, entertaining, and informative
—— Richard Peploe , RoadThis book is an entertaining account taking in everyone from stage winners and former yellow jerseys who couldn’t hang on, to a breakaway leader who stopped for a bottle of wine and then took a wrong turn, to a doper whose drug cocktail backfired
—— Bike RadarWe know the winners of the Tour de France, but Lanterne Rouge tells the forgotten, often inspirational and occasionally absurd stories of the last-placed rider
—— Miss Dinky