Draft Animals

Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While)

By: Phil Gaimon

Narrated by: Phil Gaimon

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Like countless other kids, Phil Gaimon grew up dreaming of being a professional athlete. But unlike countless other kids, he actually pulled it off. After years of amateur races, hard training, living out of a suitcase, and never taking "no" for an answer, he finally achieved his goal and signed a contract to race professionally on one of the best teams in the world.

Now, Gaimon pulls back the curtain on the WorldTour, cycling's highest level. He takes listeners along for his seasons in Europe, covering everything from rabid, water-bottle-stealing Belgian fans, to contract renewals, to riding in poisonous smog, to making friends in a sport plagued by doping. Draft Animals reveals a story as much about bike racing as it is about the never-ending ladder of achieving goals, failure, and finding happiness if you land somewhere in-between.

©2017 Phil Gaimon (P)2017 Tantor

I’m a fan!

I do have to admit I’m a fan of Phil’s. That being said, it’s not from his riding. I’d never heard of him until I stumbled across his YouTube channel. But his story, personality, and writing style have made me a fan. To me everything he puts out resonates with me. I truly like his stuff and the sense of humor with which it’s delivered.

Great listen. Narrated by the man himself.

Great anecdotal insight on the multiple issues of (barely) making it as a pro cyclist. Gaimon is funny and articulate, and it is obvious that the book was written by himself. Nothing like other ghost-written cyclist books (namely Armstrong's, Hincapie's or Hamilton's), this one was well worth the listen.

So much fun

Authors book narrated by the author. The best bicycle adventure book I have listen too.
Phil's genuine reflections on himself are a great shared experience. If you are interested in
endurance sports this will be a new favorite book.

Enjoyable audiobook. Good cycling stories

Phil’s not a doper but he’s an endorsement whore. I liked the book bio got tired of all the sponsor/endorsements.

Phil Gaimon is awesome

I love that this is actually read by Phil. Im a huge fan of his “worst retirement ever” YouTube series. Phil comes across as honest and personable. And Phil, if you’re reading this- your English degree paid off! You’re a great writer :)

I know why JV ignored him

What made the experience of listening to Draft Animals the most enjoyable?

First of all, Phil did a really good job putting together a book about his own experience in and out as pro and also throwing in some cycling dirt foreign to the outsiders. Interesting and funny. Money didn't waste on his English major. I enjoyed the book, at least most of it. A little too much wailing at the end like a high-schooler.

What other book might you compare Draft Animals to and why?

A secret race by Tyler Hamilton is a great book. I love it.

Any additional comments?

Don't let the author's own failure stop you from chasing your dreams!
Phil has the world-class physical attributes (VO2 max, power capacity and pain threshold) suppose a guy with a clean tattoo doesn't lie to protect his bruised ego. But he doesn't have a champion or winner's characters. Phil is not as disciplined or goal-driven compared with successful pros in cycling. He lets a life runs him rather than manage it. His sense of failure could be easily washed away with a few cookies or warm words from friends or strangers in social media. His priority of getting approval from fans or sponsors is over that of winning a race. In that sense, I understand why he was hired to be a "salesman" or a stage swinger in a guise of a pro cyclist. Any team manager who cares about the race results would choose a workhorse over a smart mouth, especially an old smart mouth.
A champion needs to have a tunnel vision. He is willing to do WHATEVER it takes to win and accept nothing less. A champion would internalize anything wrong into self and figure out ways to correct or avoid next time rather than hope better next time, not to mention wailing about it or using "clean" as an excuse or accusing others of doping.

Great book, humor, lots of F word

I wanted a book about cycling. This is the only one that I found on audible with enough reviews. Fantastic book. It shows how tough to be a professional cyclist. Lots of F words, making it real. Reading by the author himself is great. I was not used to his speed but later adjusted to.

a fun listen for this casual fan of the sport

there is nothing earth shattering here. It's a story from a mid level rider about the highs and the lows. It's a good listen about Phils experiences told in a fun manner. I'll likely listen to it again, and I've recommended it to my cycling friends

Fantastic book

Really great book Phil. Throughly enjoyed it. Thanks for the journey. Viva la Cookie Monster!

Good read for the avid cyclist

An interesting view into the workd of pro cycling. Some dry sections but overall a good read.