Sticky Bottle: The Cycling Year According to Carlton Kirby

Most cycling fans can name the big races — the Monuments, the Grand Tours, the headline‑grabbers on the UCI World Tour — but pro racing is far stranger, funnier and more wide‑ranging than the TV schedule suggests. The sport runs all year, across every corner of the globe, from the deserts of Gabon to the backroads of Burkina Faso. And nobody knows those roads less travelled better than Carlton Kirby: commentator, cycling encyclopaedia and world‑class storyteller.

In this hugely entertaining ride‑along, Carlton takes you through a full season on the road — from the cobbled chaos of the Spring Classics to the drama of the Grand Tours, all the way to the World Championships and the neon‑lit madness of Six Day track racing. But the real joy is in the detours: the quirky, brilliant and downright bizarre events that rarely make the headlines. Think the Tour de Langkawi, the Scheldeprijs, the Red Hook Crit in New Jersey, and even the wonderfully eccentric UK National Hill Climb Championships.

Between races, Carlton shares the kind of stories only a true commentary nomad collects. You’ll hear tales of cycling legends, behind‑the‑scenes mishaps, and the odd moment of pure chaos — like the time he appeared in a blockbuster action film, accidentally bought an octopus at an auction, got lost in a storm on a sacred Catalonian mountain, and had a near‑death experience in a biscuit factory. And that’s before we even get to the anecdotes involving Sean Kelly.

Funny, warm and packed with insider insight, this book is a celebration of the races that don’t always get the spotlight — and the commentator who’s seen them all from the front row.