Rainbows in the Mud: Inside the Intoxicating World of Cyclocross

Cyclocross is no longer cycling’s hidden gem. Its rapid growth in the USA and UK means this intense and dramatic sport is exploding into the mainstream. With a season running from September to February, cyclocross is cycling’s only purely winter discipline, demanding a combination of athleticism, supreme technical skill and ruthless tactics for the muddy conditions. In the sport’s heartland of Belgium, major races attract crowds of thousands and have a carnival atmosphere fuelled by heavy drinking, ringing cowbells and pumping airhorns. Many top riders have enthusiastic fan­clubs and are national celebrities – one even had his own reality TV show. On race day, Belgian and Dutch television coverage is akin to a major football match in the UK, stretching for hours with pre­race interviews, pundits and behind-the-scenes films. In Rainbows in the Mud, Paul Maunder spends a season soaking up the sport’s rich culture and history, and mixing with the obsessive fans, celebrity riders, and old-fashioned patriarchs of the sport. Following the riders – novices, veterans, American, British – as they slog their way through the season, he captures the spirit of this flamboyant cult sport, and paints a picture so vibrant you can almost feel the mud under your feet and taste the beer, mulled wine and frites.

Table of Contents:
Prologue: Into the Forest 1 Summer Rain 2 Cross is Coming 3 The Drop of Death 4 Edgelands 5 Punks and Sharks 6 Under the Rainbow 7 The Flemish Fairground 8 An Education 9 Into the Dunes 10 The Method of Torture 11 Live Transmission 12 Storming the Citadel 13 Midwinter 14 The Deep South 15 Climbing the Mountain 16 If the Shoes Fit 17 A Lifetime Acknowledgements Index

About the Author :
Ever since seeing flickering coverage of the 1984 World Road Championships from Barcelona, Paul Maunder has loved all aspects of cycle racing. He won his first race – an Under-12s cyclocross around a farmyard near Oxford, for which he won three chocolate bars – but thereafter struggled to maintain such dominance. He has studied fiction with the former Poet Laureate, been awarded a fellowship by Faber, and is a regular feature contributor to Rouleur and Peloton magazines.

Review :
He paints a picture so vibrant you feel the mud under your feet and taste the beer and frites Rainbows in the Mud is successful in telling the story of cyclocross through the characters, places and races… Paul Maunder’s journalistic eye and skill with the written word helps bring the mud of Belgium alive [Paul Maunder] has written a book on the winter sport's attraction and idiosyncrasies. It details the obsessive fans, the carnival-like, beer-swilling atmosphere and revered riders Maunder presents a heartfelt introduction to a sport that could soon establish itself as a serious rival for several other spectator sports, giving us yet another thing for which we should thank the Belgians. Check out Paul Maunder's book "Rainbows in the Mud." Some of the finest writing you'll see in the sport of bicycle racing. Maunder gives a firsthand enthusiastic insight into the two distinctly different flavours of 'cross to be experienced' in its belgian/dutch heartlands as well as the more participatory version on show across the pond If you can't make it to any races on the continent this season, this book will give you a great sense of what it's like to be there. Then you'll want to go so badly, you'll probably book a ferry/plane. I give this book five friets out of five. Rainbows in the Mud by Paul Maunder is a must-read for a look into the world of cyclocross. In this entertaining book, Paul Maunder spends a year soaking up the sport’s rich culture and intoxicating blend of intense, brutal, tactical racing and carnival atmosphere. Atmospheric and evocative musings on what it is about ‘cross that captures the attention