Domestique - Charly Wegelius autobiography review
The book arguably gives you the most accurate description of what being a highly-regarded domestique in the modern peloton is really like. And, as its working title suggested, "It's not a f***ing fairytale."
-
+
Not much
-
-
Not much
You can trust Cycling Weekly.
"Welcome to the true life of a tour cyclist," reads the blurb of Domestique, the interesting and revealing autobiography by former Mapei, Liquigas and Lotto rider and current Garmin DS Charly Wegelius.
We're more accustomed to reading the life stories of the sport's winners and big-name riders, yet the winlessness of Wegelius's professional career is this 300-page book's USP.
He recalls being told just seven days before the 2002 Vuelta how he was going to ride his first Grand Tour, despite being injured from a crash. Then there's the difficulty in finding teams ("If Mapei had been DHL, De Nardi was the Post Office," he writes about dropping down a division after the former team folded), incompetent managers and the difficulty of dealing with team leaders (Cadel Evans is singled out as particularly difficult).
Often funny and at times brutally honest, the book charts Wegelius's career from an enthusiastic youngster who was one of cycling's hot properties to the man whose obsessive-compulsive behaviour meant he travelled to races with duct tape to ensure he could remove any trace of light from ?hotel rooms.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Nick Bull is an NCTJ qualified journalist who has written for a range of titles, as well as being a freelance writer at Beat Media Group, which provides reports for the PA Media wire which is circulated to the likes of the BBC and Eurosport. His work at Cycling Weekly predominantly dealt with professional cycling, and he now holds a role as PR & Digital Manager at SweetSpot Group, which organises the Tour of Britain.
-
Wout van Aert back on drop bars as he says he’s ‘almost professional again’ in Strava post
Visma-Lease a Bike rider broke his collarbone, sternum and several ribs in a high speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'Ride like you own the road' - Zoe Bäckstedt on Paris-Roubaix Femmes, her Grand Tour debut and her new Red Bull helmet
Bäckstedt recently landed sponsorship from the energy drink giants and joined the likes of Tom Pidcock, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Evie Richards as a Red Bull athlete
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Cycle to Work scheme is 'sucking the lifeblood' from local bike shops, say retailers - here's how to save on tax, ethically
Find a scheme with lower commission, and lobby your employer to use it
By Adam Becket Published