Quick Reads

Jan Raas was powerful on the bike and fearless off it. A true hard man of the classics, he raced to win - and never backed down, as one fiery day in Italy proved.

In 2007, Sir Chris Hoy took on the thin air of the Andes in search of speed. After a nightmare journey, he missed one world record by fractions, then returned hours later to destroy another.

Behind the Iron Curtain, cycling had its own monuments. The Wall of Meerane - a brutal 13 percent cobbled climb in East Germany - became the symbol of the Peace Race, where amateurs rode like pros and crowds packed every inch of the road.

In 1969, Walter Godefroot delivered the race of his life. In a season dominated by Eddy Merckx, the Belgian Bulldog attacked, held firm, and beat the best in Paris-Roubaix.

When Eddy Merckx was dropped from the Belgian Olympic squad in 1964, his mother Jenny refused to accept it. She uncovered corruption, challenged the selectors, and got her son reinstated. Months later, Eddy won his first world title.

In 1967, Beryl Burton was unstoppable. She shattered the men’s 12-hour time trial record, dominated the world road race, and nearly matched Tour de France pros in France’s GP des Nations. Yorkshire’s cycling queen proved talent and grit mattered more than rules or reputation.