Domestique: The Real-life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro Kindle Edition

Charly Wegelius describes the world of professional cycling in an accurate and interesting way. His experience comes through the pages well, and this book is a page turner. Cyclists will appreciate the account especially.I have raced myself, and the descriptions are incredibly accurate. Cycling is hard. And heartbreaking. And rewarding.

A compelling and honest portrayal of life as a pro cyclist, for most it not podiums and parties, it is hard work and doesn't always come with a lot of thanks. Charly provides us with an insight into the engine room of a professional team, and the life of those that forge their trade for the greater benefit of others. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, found it hard to put down, and now having finished it I feel better informed on the inner workings of a professional cycling team and the gritty life of a domestique. "...as I sobbed into my hands and the tears mixed into the sweat and filth of the dirty roads that covered my face, I knew the truth about professional cycling: it's no ... fairytale."

Having read Secret Race, Wheelmen, Rough Ride and a myriad of articles while recovering from cracked ribs suffered as a result of a cycling accident, I have to say this is by far my favorite book. Wegelius engages the reader with wit and honesty, taking you through the entire life cycle of a professional cyclist. He doesn't resort to sensationalism or pointing fingers at others for making personal choices about the way they competed. Instead he focuses on the lifestyle, with all the anxieties and shortcomings, that an in-the-trenches kind of cyclist goes through just to stay on a bike and still get paid to do it. I found it engrossing and informative. I highly recommend this book for a look into the world of a cyclist that never had bracelets made for him or found his picture in a magazine popping a wheelie crossing a finish line. He was the type of rider that made it possible for others to those things.

Well written and brutally honest take on what the life of a pro rider actually feels like. Charly doesn't pull many punches, including against himself, and the result is a thorough, realistic and enlightening book. Worth the read if you are a cycling fan and want the unvarnished experience.

This was an enjoyable read though I believe it will knock a lot of the glitz and glamour off what being a pro cyclist is for those who've only seen big-time bike races on TV. Better writing than many bike racer books, Charly's helper did a good job here. My less-than-stellar rating is based on the fact that the book sort of just ends without much of a summation. Given that Wegelius has since taken up a director job with a pro team, perhaps this book was written too soon? When the book rather suddenly ended, I felt like I'd taken a great bicycle ride using a great set of directions - then suddenly, at the bottom of a fun descent, the road flattened out and the directions simply ended. Where to now Charly?

This book exposes the grim, sometimes chaotic havoc behind the shiny Grand Tour races and star teams and athletes, really separating it from typical race/athlete memoirs - it's emotional and a real inside perspective to being an outsider trying to break into the peloton culture, yet without bitterness or winging. It was refreshing to read about life in the peloton from the domestique perspective - someone who selflessly races for someone else's win for the professionalism of their job and is way more than the person who fetches bottle waters from the team car that you see on TV.Read this book while following the Tour de France and seeing the commercialism, unbridled enthusiasm and strange examples of humanity surrounding the event first hand. You appreciate what those riders do day in and out so much more - they get back on their bike, even after a nasty crash, not just because they're tough, but because they have no choice.The fact that Charly succeeded on several well-known teams and clean during a time when that wasn't the norm, makes him a winner in my book.Thanks for not writing a book about doping and giving a fresh perspective to a sport we respect and are proud to be a part of.Team Charly. Highly recommend!

Most cycling fans have read the books (fictional and biographical) about Armstrong, Merx, Millar, Cavendish, Hamilton and Lemond, and they provide a view from the lofty heights of the sport. But what about the other 99% of the guys that give a race it's shape and substance? Charley Wegelius tells that story with insight and humanity. He tells it like it is and doesn't glamorize the game at all. He's honest about his own shortcomings and mistakes which one must imagine are common to many in the great army of cycling pros. He writes well and this tome is a nice complement to the books by the stars. A recommended read.

A friend recommended this book by Charly Wegelius, and he was right. Wegelius was a British pro road rider at a time when that was almost more unusual than being an American rider - before the advent of Team Sky. It's an interesting counterpoint to a book like Phil Gaimon's Pro Cycling on 10 Dollars a Day, as even when Gaimon got to Europe, he was riding for an American team, whereas Wegelius had to work very hard to effectively integrate himself in to the world of Italian cycling - a country and cycling style that matched well with his talents, but which often still left him feeling like the proverbial odd man out.If you have even the slightest interest in European pro road racing, you really have to read this book. It covers the years 1998 to 2011, when Wegelius retired, so you might expect a lot about doping, but while there is some insight, that's not really the focus of this reflection on a his career as one of the premier domestiques in pro racing. I thought I knew a lot about the inner workings of the pro peloton, but not only did I learn a lot of new subtleties of the sport, I also gained a whole new perspective on what it meant and means to be a cycling pro in Europe. For emphasis, Wegelius makes liberal use of the f-word - right from the get go. There is nothing understated about this book. As the saying goes, he says it as he sees it.

Great book about real life in the pro peloton.

Los entresijos e intrahistorias del ciclismo profesional contados por un gregario de lujo. Imprescindible.

Great book for cycling enthusiasts ...

Great book and super fast delivery before Xmas

Honest, interesting and clearly knowledgeable portrayal of what it takes to become a pro cyclist at the highest level. And how unforgiving and even cruel the sport can be. For those of us who may see the sport thru 'rose-coloured glasses' this will be an eye-opener. The book is also a very easy read and is thoroughly entertaining and held my interest from start to finish