2008-09-24 Good for the beginner but of little use to the serious cyclist

Some of the reviews already written here cover this book in more detail than I will.

Suffice to say that this is not be best piece of writing I have ever read. Quite frankly, it is apalling, switching between the first and third person and routinely repeating points that have already been made. With proper editing this book could have been substantially shorter, altough as it is, I read it in a single day (had a lot of waiting!). The plan itself will baffle anyone with more than a simple, rudimentary knowledge of physical training. Each week pretty much repeats itself with the exception of the fact that each session increases in intensity at the Beginner and Intermediate levels. The advanced level is supposed to be only if you can go sub-8:00 for a 3 mile time trial, though the sessions themselves would not be beyond the average commuter who put their minds to it.

That said, if you are a complete novice, new to cycling AND new to the idea of following a structured training plan, then this is a very good start simply because it is straightforward to understand.

If on the otherhand you know that the road gets slippery when wet (seriously, they point this out more than once in this book) or that you have to wear more clothes when it gets cold (Yep, they feel the need to tell you that too) and you have a reasonable interest in developing your knowledge of physical training and specifically how to put together a proper plan for cycling, then I'd look elsewhere such as SERIOUS CYCLING (which I've only leafed through but looks far better) or even SERIOUS TRAINING FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES (which is not cycling specific but is VERY detailed and applicable to cycling).

If you are going to buy it though, get it as cheaply as you can because once you've read it you'll likely throw it away - I do not foresee this book being one you will refer to over and over again, if indeed at all after you've read it.