{"title":"Books by James Witts","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781399403504","title":"Riding With The Rocketmen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eHumble and very funny\u003c\/i\u003e' - Ned Boulting\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003ci\u003eEssential reading for any Étape rider\u003c\/i\u003e' - Daniel Friebe, co-host of \u003ci\u003eThe Cyclist Podcast\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn Everyman dropped into the world of Supermen... Can this amateur cyclist complete L'Étape du Tour?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTadej Pogacar has 7% body fat, Chris Froome’s resting heart rate is 30bpm, Mark Cavendish reaches sprint speeds of over 50mph. They’re super-human cyclists who ride 3,500km over 21 stages across the Alps and Pyrenees as a matter of course.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJames Witts is 45 years old, fatty deposits have begun to nestle on his back and he has a penchant for craft ale. He also rides a little. But not a lot. In his job as cycling journalist, however, he does have unparalleled access to the world’s best riders and their expert support staff.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhich got him thinking: could spending time with the pros, discovering the training, gear and nutritional tricks of the trade, transform this back-of-the-pack sportive straggler into a fit-and-fast frontrunner?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this entertaining and warm-hearted tale, Witts gains access to the world’s greatest teams and riders to reveal the tricks of the trade. Follow along as he trains, rides and eats using the regimes of the planet's toughest athletes, to conquer a stage of the Tour de France.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWill he sacrifice the pub for stamina-boosting beetroot juice? Can an altitude mask really send his performance soaring? And will his ego cope with a drag-cutting, little-left-to-the-imagination skinsuit?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298770137461,"sku":"9781399403504","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399403504_3616f0ed-55cd-4fee-9d91-eaafa80fb7d1.jpg?v=1786019171"},{"product_id":"9781472948458","title":"Training Secrets of the World's Greatest Footballers","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Incredibly well-researched and loaded with modern-day, high-tech football insights' – Tony Strudwick, Head of Performance, Wales national football team\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProfessional football is more demanding than ever. Top internationals reach speeds of 36km\/hr, run 12km each match and play up to 60 games each season. Sports scientists are now key figures at every top club, applying cutting-edge techniques to boost fitness, accelerate recovery and forge lean, mean, winning machines. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis illuminating book uncovers the training and fuelling secrets of today’s greatest footballers, drawing on access to the world’s best clubs, including Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and many more. Why does Cristiano Ronaldo have his own cryotherapy chamber? Why does Paul Pogba wear custom-made compression socks? Why does Sergio Agüero altitude-train when returning from injury?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom virtual-reality units to the omnipresence of GPS vests, taking in brain-training, innovative gear and performance nutrition along the way, you’ll discover what it takes to reach the top of the game – and how to apply this knowledge to your own training.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312442847605,"sku":"9781472948458","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472948458_e8e40f9f-3b18-4d33-91b1-62475d7361a6.jpg?v=1786020743"},{"product_id":"9781785211348","title":"Bike Book (7th Edition)","description":"Complete bicycle maintenance, Now in its 23rd year of publication, The Bike Book continues to be a bestseller. Compiled by a new author, this seventh edition is a major update to include all new developments in the cycling world along with a thorough check and revision of all existing material. New photography together with a refreshed page design offer the reader a user-friendly and contemporary manual – but still with the clear step-by-step approach for which Haynes is famous., Choosing a bike: different types of bike, correct sizing and setting up., Routine maintenance and repair: lubrication, adjustment, cleaning, repairing punctures, tyre care, chains, cables and brake pads., Braking systems: rim and disc brakes., Drive train: chains, cables, derailleurs, sprockets and cassettes, chainsets, bottom brackets, hub gears, gear shifters., Contact points: saddles, seat posts, bars and stems, pedals, toe clips, straps and clipless pedals., Wheels: adjustable-cone hubs, sealed-bearing hubs, spoke replacement and truing., Frames, forks, steering and suspension: frame materials and design, suspension fork strip and set-up, headset strip, adjustment and replacement, full-suspension bearing replacement., Safety, security and accessories: mudguards, racks, panniers, computers, bells, seatpost bags., Appendix: gear ratios, torque settings, chain types, tyre and rim combinations, Shimano, Sram and Campagnolo compatability, fault-finding., Author: James Witts is a sports journalist who edited the UK's biggest and best-selling multisport magazine, 220 Triathlon, transforming it from a loss-making publication into one of Immediate Media's most profitable titles.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312849564021,"sku":"9781785211348","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781785211348_a88ebe3e-2200-4a96-a93a-0ef55c0c8812.jpg?v=1786025967"},{"product_id":"dope","title":"Dope","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs human beings, we're fascinated by elite human performance. And if it derives from nefarious means? Arguably that's even more captivating. Some of the most iconic and revered athletes in history have been handed bans when at the pinnacle of their sports - from Lance Armstrong, Ben Johnson and Marion Jones all the way through to Diego Maradona, Shane Warne and Jannick Sinner. And now there's the emergence of the Enhanced Games, where steroids and peptides are not only allowed but encouraged. The lengths athletes - and their support teams - go to in search of victory is unsettling, dangerous and spellbinding.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust as intriguing is how the anti-doping authorities combat - or attempt to combat - the cheats. Biological passports, blood tests, targeting black-market pharmacies, scrutinising social-media accounts for evidence of athletic fraud... The drug detectives marry human endeavour and cutting-edge technology to keep sport clean.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's good versus evil, but who's winning?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDope \u003c\/i\u003eexamines the landscape of sport and doping in the modern era, from micro-dosing blood boosters to the rise of drug taking in amateur sport and AI's ability to create undetectable - and potentially dangerous - performance-enhancers. Author James Witts immerses himself in the underbelly of sport, interviewing doping athletes, anti-doping experts, scientists, ethicists, psychiatrists and psychologists to answer one key question: can you really trust that peak sporting performance is down to determination and talent?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is an eye-opening and enthralling account of modern-day sport - one which will change the way you view it forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57487928099189,"sku":"9781785129742","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781785129742.jpg?v=1786355149"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-james-witts.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}