Chased by Pandas: My life in the mysterious world of cycling

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The opening chapter is about the fear of crashing and reprises Martin’s wipe-out on the final bend of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he’d given his rivals the slip and was just about to overhaul Giampaulo Caruso only to slide out in sight of the finish line. Here Martin reveals a mystical side: Known, thanks to his racing style and attitude, for being one of road cycling’s last romantics, Dan has always shied away from revealing too much about himself and his story. Now, having retired at the end of the 2021 season aged 35 and no longer bound by the constraints of the racing circuit, Dan feels the time is right to tell his story in the same forthright and honest manner that he rode his bike. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: With its descriptions of the profound boredom that oozed from Monaco, or the Tourmalet’s telluric faults and anarchic curves (“like a piece of spaghetti through pesto”), Chased by Pandas is definitely one of the better written chamois memoirs – even if it is another of those chamoirs where the subject’s voice is often lost behind that of the ghost – but at heart it is as light and as trivial as most of the others. Given that both Martin and Carrey have strayed further into the sport’s dark places in interviews and articles, it seems even lighter still. The modern chamois memoir, though, is more an exercise in PR and image management than it is an exploration of a sport forever telling us to ignore what goes on in the shadows and just enjoy the spectacle.

Chased By Pandas by Dan Martin – Signed Edition - Coles Books

The time is the early 2000s, the place south west English midlands, not far from where Dan grew up, the scene a British Cycling seniors race, five or six laps of an undulating circuit with an off circuit hill finish, about 80/90ks, I was a veteran making up the bunch. PK: Another area of abuse is anti-depressants, tranquilisers and painkillers - Tramadol. So again, what is clean? Featuring jerseys, bib shorts and caps, the range is available in both colour and monochrome. There’s even Amado’s signature flower on the sleeve with a smiley face. 🙂 The book isn’t a straight chronology of Dan Martin’s cycling career. Instead each chapter explores a particular fear, whether crashing, injury or the burden of leadership and through this the arc of Dan Martin’s cycling career is covered. Now the headings mention phobias but it’s more a theme to explore rather than a catalogue of negatives. These bottles from Ketone-IQ are said to boost energy and focus and contain no sugar, no caffeine and no artificial flavours, so be prepared for a sharp taste when ingesting.Dan Martin gets chased by a panda costume which leads to WWF sponsorship. What if Hesjedal had won in Liège instead?” Known, thanks to his racing style and attitude, for being one of road cycling's last romantics, Dan has always shied away from revealing too much about himself and his story. Now, having retired at the end of the 2021 season aged 35 and no longer bound by the constraints of the racing circuit, Dan feels the time is right to tell his story in the same forthright and honest manner that he rode his bike. But, personally, I didn’t really see any difference in the testing process throughout my career. From 2011 to 2021 it didn’t really change. I presume that testing has got more advanced but it’s hard to know if it’s working. Ah, the innocence of youth, when you actually believed the things you read in cycling books. Hold onto it as long as you can, folk, you’ll miss it when it’s gone. While Martin has spoken in interviews about how he “ almost got used to seeing cyclists being led away in handcuffs”, Chased by Pandas doesn’t go to those dark places. Doping is mentioned, Martin telling us his attitude was to “avoid thinking about it”. He’s continued with that defence mechanism here by doing his best to avoid talking about it. Except to tell us how clean the sport became and how clean he is.

Cycling Book Reviews: Chased by Pandas, by Dan Martin

Martin, as just about everyone knows at this stage, has cycling in his blood. His father, Neil Martin, made it as far as ACBB, cycling’s Sorbonne for the men of the Foreign Legion in the 1970s and 1980s, before returning to the UK where he made a name for himself on the domestic circuit. His mother, Maria Roche, is the sister of Stephen Roche. According to Jonathan Vaughters, Martin’s mother’s genes are the more important, because of something to do with midichlorians and the Force. Or is it mitochondria and genetics? It could be either, when Vaughters is involved. Whichever it is, the grá for the sport, the love and the passion, that came from his father. Tour de France, 2019: Dan Martin climbs the Tourmalet. Tim de Waele / Getty

Summary

Chased by Pandas ] is not a conventional study of wins, losses and conquering mountains but overcoming the mental challenges of a sport into which he was seemingly born' The Times Away from such murky terrain, Martin sounds blissfully happy with his family in Andorra where he is working in a new investment business and about to publish his first book. What’s in a title? “My Way” wouldn’t be original but it could be deserved. Dan Martin said no to British Cycling and even changed nationality to forge his own path, reinventing himself several times along the way to win two monuments and stages in all three grand tours. He’s had an interesting column over the years with Pro Cycling magazine and recent media appearances, like The Cycling Podcast, are always worth listening. So a whole book is promising… You see pictures of me when I was a first-year pro in 2008, 22 years old and looking like I’m 15. In modern cycling I might never have made it to where I did – because I wouldn’t have been allowed the time to develop. How many talented riders are we going to lose now?” Martin’s freewheeling approach to cycling, it extended to the dinner table, where he rejected cycling’s myth of monk-like existence. He enjoyed a glass of wine when he wanted to and didn’t obsess over every grain of rice on his plate. Chased by Pandas is pleasantly unusual in the way it talks about food. Martin may well be a 60-something kilo whippet, but he loves his food, and he loves talking about food. Here he is on a private training camp in the French Basque Country ahead of the 2018 Tour, just him and his wife, Jess: