Sean Yates: It's All About the Bike

By: Sean Yates

Narrated by: Clive Mantle

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Before Bradley Wiggins, there was Sean Yates. Behind Bradley Wiggins, there was Sean Yates.

One of only five Britons to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, Sean Yates burst onto the cycling scene as the rawest pure talent this country has ever seen. After turning professional at the age of 22, he soon became known as a die-hard domestique, putting his body on the line for his teammates.

Devastatingly fast, powerful and a fearless competitor, Yates won a stage of the Tour, as well as the Vuelta a España, in 1988, and went on to don the coveted maillot jaune six years later. Having put British cycling on the map as a rider, Yates was soon in demand as a directeur sportif, using his tactical knowledge to inspire a new generation of cyclists to success. And after Team Sky came calling, Yates was the man to design the brilliant plan that saw Sky demolish the opposition in 2012, and for Bradley Wiggins to become the first cyclist from these shores to win the Tour.

Straight-talking, entertaining and revelatory, It's All About the Bike is the story of a remarkable career told from the unique perspective of a man who is immersed in the history of the sport he loves.

©2013 Sean Yates (P)2013 Random House AudioGo

A story of a man in love with his bike.

I really like it. Great bike stories from a legend. He does not touch the doping subject at all, and generally this is not a controversial tale. Very well performed and it is a very entertaining listen. Highly recommend.

enjoyed it

Fun listen for a fat and slow weekend cyclist. You should pick it up soon.

Spot on cyclist head

Funny and well written autobiografi.
The story shows spot on the motivators for many profi.
Sean pulls things to the outer limit, making it easy to understand the drive professionel riders need for such a lifestyle.

love this his personality

great book enjoyed it thoroughly from beginning to end. mabey when he does actually retire he can write a sequill so we can hear the rest of the story

Laughably Poor Narration

What made the experience of listening to Sean Yates: It's All About the Bike the most enjoyable?

Hearing the life story of an iconic racing cyclist and director sportif, was really interesting. Yates is really good (and knows it), but this didn't sound big-headed, and he appeared more than aware of his shortcomings as well as his assets.

What did you like best about this story?

The no-nonsense style of writing

How could the performance have been better?

This is a book with a very limited potential readership, i.e. cyclists or people interested in cycle racing. The publisher/actor (who knows who should take care of this?) had made absolutely no effort to research the pronunciation of the names of people, places and events. This is just sloppy and unprofessional and I would have felt short-changed had I paid full price for the audiobook. As it was, it was so bad that it became laughable and actually added a comedy dimension to the whole thing. If you're precious about this sort of thing, then this is definitely not the book for you.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

Despite the subject matter, this is a sub-standard product and the publishers should hang their heads in shame.

Dishonest

Didn't mention his doping past once, quoted his mantra as being paid for an honest day's work. Conceited and self-congratulatory.

This one gets the maillot jaune

I've read a lot of cycling books but this one is my firm favourite. A witty, almost charming read, I enjoyed how Sean just says it like it is. I can still remember watching the TdF as a young thing and seeing him do his thing. His poster was on my wall! Well narrated, the voices and accents were great. Definitely a read again.

this guy is a proper legend!

I loved this book, Sean Yates is a true legend, the narration is good, even the accents used for people from the continent are amusing, a great read/listen

An authentic look inside cycling

What did you like most about Sean Yates: It's All About the Bike?

His introduction to cycling and growing into a neo-pro and then full pro. The back stories regarding Lance Armstrong et al or course and just the refreshingly straightforward way all of this is put over. Many of my cycling friends had perceived ideas about Sean, but I feel I have a better understanding of what makes him tick, and I'm impressed. Chapeau to you Sean.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I wouldn't. It's essential that what and how Sean puts this over is left to speak for itself.

What does Clive Mantle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The reading of this is vitally important. Sometimes you forget this is Clive reading Sean's book and think it's Sean speaking. What more can I say, great effort Clive and it definitely enhances the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The bit where he say's the Liege Bastogne Liege - 'well that a b*$t*rd of a race, got half way round, climbed off my bike and gave up'. For a Rouleur like Sean to admit this says something. And yes it is hard, I've done it myself - in 12 hrs rather than the 8hr the professionals take.

Any additional comments?

This has inspired me to read further cycling texts, which after all is the best testimony you can give a book like this.

Boardman played by Ringo Starr

Always great to hear about Yates and all his history as he is genuinely a legend. The pronunciation and accents were distracting at times though. Especially the attempt at Boardman that sounded like Ringo Starr with a bad hangover.

Entertaining

An entertaining and revealing account of Yates life and career as an amateur then pro cyclist and then as a DS.
The narration had some quirks, but if you can see the funny side of "Johan Brown Ale" it adds to the story.

Love the Story. Context and Humour are fabulous

Only issue? Clive Mantle’s pronunciation! Need to rework some of the names and dodgy accents... However, it didn’t massively detract from the story.

good book but

once again a biography that doesn't pronounce names properly, Geraint Thomas seems to be a common theme.

excellent excellent read

I couldn't stop listening, the content is first class and the performance of the reader is wonderful. a truly endearing insight into the life of a top cycling legend