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Shut up Legs!
Shut up Legs!
Nov 16, 2024 3:42 AM

Author:Jens Voigt

Shut up Legs!

Push until it hurts, then push some more

Even by the standards of a sport that requires enormous stamina and capacity for suffering, Jens Voigt is in a class on his own. Beloved by cycling fans for his madcap one-man breakaways as much as his sense of humour and quotable catchphrases, Jens is one of the most popular personalities in cycling.

Jens was born near Hamburg, and came up through the East German system before the Wall came down. He got into the national team through the German army, before signing for his first big team. In many ways he is cycling’s anti-star; despite arguably spending more time at the front of the Tour de France than any other rider he has only worn the yellow jersey twice as his efforts have always been in the service of others.

Jens embodies the best of cycling’s qualities – loyalty to his team, sacrifice, and devotion to the sport. He says, ‘I’m not a head person, I’m more of a heart and guts guy. That’s how I race.’ Shut Up Legs is a funny, insightful and entertaining look at the tough realities of professional cycling, told in Jens’s trademark irreverent and inimitable style.

Reviews

Voigt defied age, logic, and, regularly, common sense, to craft magical, against-all-odds stage wins

—— Velonews

Cycling's beloved superfreak

—— Wall Street Journal

Suffering and Voigt are inseparable … but the man is much more than a catchphrase

—— Cyclist.co.uk

One of the most recognisable and loved riders in the peloton thanks to his fearsome attacks, irrepressible good humour and memorable sound bites

—— Cycling news

Classic ‘Jensism’ “Shut up legs!” titles a book that appraises the nuts, bolts, and uncharacteristic German sense of humour behind of one of cycling’s most complex and charismatic characters.

—— GQ

Terrific . . . Far more insightful than your typical memoir, Ibra'sbook tells his story of growing up as the son of immigrants in Sweden and pulls no punches when it comes to his opinions ofsome of the biggest names in the game

—— Sports Illustrated

Eagerly awaited, not least because Ibra seems to be spoiling for a fight on every other page. 'Dynamite' said one Swedish reporter

—— Daily Mail

It is so good. It is so bloody good . . . a futureclassic that will change Sweden . . . a masterpiece

—— Aftonbladet

Good God, this is dynamite!

—— Sportbladet

The story of Zlatan - from his days as an immigrantkid juggling a soccer ball so he won't get bullied to hisemergence as the genius player who scored the greatestgoal ever - is as compelling and fancy-footed as his game

—— Aleksandar Hemon, US Nat ional Book Awar d finalist and auth or of 'The Lazarus Project'

Sensationally honest and well written

—— Expressen

Probably the greatest living athlete most people have never heard of

—— Telegraph

Of all the new non-fiction books with Olympic connections, this is the finest and most inspiring.

—— National

A brilliant & very important book. Vital, highly recommended. Tempted to say it's Michael Calvin’s best yet, which is some praise.

—— Oliver Kay , The Times

The best sports book I'm likely to read this year. Highly recommend you buy it.

—— Simon Hughes , Independent

A brilliant insight into the journey young kids now make from kicking a ball around in their back garden, through the glossy facilities of academy football.

—— David Preece , Sunderland Echo

His research is, as ever, impeccable… No Hunger in Paradise is a fascinating and fitting finale to a trio of books any football lover should own.

—— Sunday Sport

Heartbreaking . . . an excellent piece of reportage

—— i-Paper

The award-winning writer’s new forensic, and sometimes alarming, case study into why some young prospects make the cut – and others fall away – is fascinating…
The FA would do well to read this if they want success

—— FourFourTwo

Brilliantly sourced and written… As a portrait of the state of the modern game, No Hunger In Paradise is vital reading. With Calvin’s previous studies, it serves as a record of what football is like today and should place him alongside Arthur Hopcraft, John Moynihan and Hunter Davies in providing the sport with its defining literature

—— When Saturday Comes

One of the great, and most important, sports books of 2017. Passionate, incisive, gripping.

—— Don McCrae

Calvin is a natural storyteller who is unflinching as he goes behind the scenes and meets the people at the heart of the youth development network.

—— Irish Independent

The book is an eye-opener into the pressures put on young players by clubs, coaches and parents; the corruption and conceit, bullying and harassment. Plus the lengths those clubs and their scouts go to, to recruit kids who have yet to reach secondary school.

—— Independent, 10 Best Football Books of the Year 2017

Completes his formidable trilogy on the game with a blistering indictment of how it treats its youngest players

—— Guardian’s sport books of the year

Outstanding

—— Times

As the book unfurls, the march along the marches turns into a eulogy to his father, part memoir, part biography, always a love story. It also contains one of the most unflinching, moving descriptions of death I have read.

—— Melanie Reid , The Times

This beautifully written book is a haunting reflection of identity and our relationships with the people and places we love.

—— Jane Shilling , Daily Mail

Stewart provides much food for thought about how we value our past history

—— Susannah Law , Scottish Field
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