Ned Boulting has noticed something. It’s regarding bikes. They’re all over the place. And so are their riders. A few of these riders appear to be having sideburns and some of them are winning stuff. Big things. Today Ned really wants to know how on the planet it found this. And what, precisely is ‘this’.

In On the Road Bicycle, Ned Boulting asks how Britain became so obsessed with cycling. Ned’s search puts him in contact with some of the great and wonderfully idiosyncratic people who have contributed to the nation’s two-wheeled history. It’s a trip that requires him from the velodrome at Herne Hill towards the Tour of Britain at Stoke-on-Trent via Bradley Wiggins, Chris Boardman, David Millar (and David’s mum), Ken Livingstone, both Tommy Godwins, Gary Kemp (yes, him from Spandau Ballet) and several, a lot more. The result can be an amusing and personal exploration of the austere, nutty soul of British bicycling.