Riding With The Rocketmen: One Man's Journey on the Shoulders of Cycling Giants

James Witts is not Tadej Pogačar. He’s not Chris Froome. He’s not even the fastest rider in his local sportive. He’s 45, partial to craft ale, and increasingly padded in places he’d rather not discuss. But as a cycling journalist with rare access to the world’s best riders, he starts to wonder: could learning the pros’ secrets turn an everyday rider into someone capable of conquering L’Étape du Tour?
That question sends him on a brilliantly funny, painfully honest journey into the heart of elite cycling. He trains with the biggest teams, quizzes world‑class coaches, experiments with gear and nutrition hacks, and tries to live like the super‑humans who race 3,500km across the Alps and Pyrenees for fun. Along the way he discovers what really works, what definitely doesn’t, and what happens when an ordinary bloke squeezes himself into a drag‑cutting skinsuit.
From stamina‑boosting beetroot juice to altitude masks, from ego‑bruising lab tests to the sheer terror of riding a Tour‑level mountain stage, this is a warm‑hearted, laugh‑out‑loud story about ambition, suffering and the joy of pushing yourself further than you ever thought possible. As Ned Boulting puts it: humble and very funny. As Daniel Friebe says: essential reading for any Étape rider.