Sports & Outdoors

Road Captain immerses listeners in the team dynamics, tactical complexities and split-second decisions vital to success in professional cycling. It discloses the mental and physical battles taking place within a group of riders, and reveals how the biggest bike races are won.

Vassos Alexander found solace and distraction swimming in the Thames during a difficult summer, and was bitten by the bug. Now he can't pass a body of water without wanting to jump in. Told through the story of training for a solo Channel swim, Swimmingly takes you on a journey across the world from Bournemouth beach to San Francisco Bay. Vassos discovers that outdoor swimming is not about being the fastest or the best, it's about finding that little bit of magic in every stroke.

Mike Mentzer was a strikingly handsome man with a brilliant mind and a "perfect" physique—the first bodybuilder to receive a perfect score in both amateur and professional competitions. In the late '70s, Mentzer rose to the very top of his sport (despite the efforts made by industry power brokers, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger), was featured in GQ magazine, and profiled on national television. But he was also a man who wrestled with mental illness his entire life and ended up living on the streets and being sent to prison.

In June 2023, writer Dan Rubinstein lashed camping gear to his stand-up paddle board and embarked on an improbable solo voyage from Ottawa to Montreal, New York City, Toronto, and back to Ottawa along the rivers, lakes, and canals of a landlocked region. Over 1,200 miles and ten weeks, he explored the healing potential of "blue space"—the aquatic equivalent of green space—and sought out others drawn to their local waters.

Fixed breaks new ground as Moses Swaibu becomes the first player ever to write openly about how he helped to fix games, revealing exactly what happens on the pitch when a match is being manipulated. He also exposes how the criminal gangs operate, how young professional players are targeted and groomed and the threats of violence that are used to keep them in check. Offering a fascinating insight into the ugly side of the beautiful game, it's a sporting autobiography like none ever written before.

Overlanding 101 is the first and ultimate guide to vehicle-based adventure travel. Authored by renowned adventure traveler Scott Brady and the editors at Overland Journal, this book puts you in the driver’s seat, taking you through all aspects of overland travel. From vehicle selection and preparation to navigation and outdoor travel skills, and much more, beginner and intermediate travelers will find all instruction and motivation necessary to overland like a pro.

Nearly fifty years after taking up the game, Michael Bamberger made a pair of startling discoveries: golf had never meant more to him, and he knew almost nothing about it. He decided to cover himself in green in a whole new way. He spent a year inside the ropes of professional golf—playing, caddying, competing, volunteering, and interviewing—looking for a door into the sport’s sanctum sanctorum.

The value of peat bogs as a natural resource and haven of biodiversity is undisputed, yet few of us have been lucky enough to experience their beauty and richness. In Peatlands, Wainwright Prize-shortlisted author Alys Fowler calls for us to sink deep into the dark, black soils of these rugged places and take a close look at the birds, animals, plants and insects that live within them.

In the 1950s and 1960s one man dominated rugby coaching like no other: Roy Francis. He led teams to championships and Wembley finals, revolutionised the art of coaching and inspired his players to incredible achievements. But even more amazingly for those times, he was a Black man in a white world. Through archives, family members’ accounts and former players’ memories, Roy Francis tells the story of a family’s journey from slavery to sporting success, and of a remarkable man who defied prejudice to reach the pinnacle of rugby as a player, coach and leader.

Britain is defined by the dynamic, mysterious and fragile coastline that surrounds it. In this moving and beautiful account, Roger Morgan-Grenville tells the story of his marathon journey around that coast, explains some of the key challenges and opportunities he found and celebrates the people who are trying to protect and enhance it.

Hidden in the names of English towns and villages, in copses, fields, lanes and hills, are the ghostly traces of birds conjuring powerful identities for people in ancient landscapes. What are their stories and secrets? How did people encounter birds over a thousand years ago? In The Cuckoo’s Lea, Michael J. Warren sets out on the trail of these ghosts. Captivated and guided by the secrets of place names, he finds their stories entangled with his own explorations of places through birds all across England.

In 1950, at the first Formula One Grand Prix in Britain after World War II, 150,000 spectators, including the royal family, watch in dismay as Italy's Alfa Romeos take the first three places – ahead of seven more Italian Maseratis. In Paris, at the Salon d'Auto, Pininfarina's breathtakingly stylish Lancias, driven form Turin by the designer and his son, are denied entry. Parked outside, they nevertheless steal the show. How can it be that Italy, pummelled into submission by Allied bombs, is already setting new standards of speed and style that leave the rest of the world for dust?

In Forest Euphoria, Kaishian shows us this making of a scientist and introduces readers to the queerness, literal and otherwise, of all the life around us. Fungi, we learn, commonly have more than two biological sexes—and some as many as twenty-three thousand. Some intersex slugs mutually fire calcium carbonate “love darts” at each other during courtship.

The North American prairie is an ecological marvel, a lush carpet of grass that stretches to the horizon, and home to some of the nation’s most iconic creatures—bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bald eagles. Plants, microbes, and animals together made the grasslands one of the richest ecosystems on Earth and a massive carbon sink, but the constant expansion of agriculture threatens what remains.

As one of the world's most popular sports, and with races in far corners of the globe, F1 is big business. With unparalleled insight and decades of reporting, they describe the pivotal moments which have driven the sport to new heights - the influx of tobacco advertising, the Concorde agreement, television deals, the reign of Bernie Ecclestone, and the huge popularity of Drive to Survive.

La F1 est devenue une compétition acharnée où seules les meilleures écuries peuvent prétendre à la victoire. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1, vainqueur de 7 championnats du monde des Pilotes et de 8 championnats du monde Constructeurs consécutifs, doit affronter une nouvelle réalité : elle n'est plus indétrônable. Entièrement immergé dans l'équipe pendant les saisons 2023 et 2024, l'auteur suit Lewis Hamilton, George Russell et le directeur de l'écurie Toto Wolff, sur et en dehors de la piste, alors qu'ils mettent tout en œuvre pour revenir dans la course aux titres.

From his jaw-dropping dunks to his charismatic personality, Anthony Edwards draws comparisons to the greatest shooting guards of all time like Kobe and Jordan. A portrait in the education of a budding NBA superstar, Ant chronicles Edward’s meteoric rise. The number-one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, a two-time All-Star, Edwards has, in just a few seasons, become a household name and the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves. And he’s only twenty-three years old.

In The Joy of Poker, Jason Su breaks down why the traditional tenets of mindset coaching and sports psychology are not only ineffective at dealing with these issues, but in most cases are the actual cause of them.

When the sun has set, things get interesting with wild animals. Where people wait for buses during the day, a family of raccoons rummages through the trash can. Foxes and skunks search for food; fireflies send flashing signals to potential mates; owls and bats fly overhead. Night is not just a time, but a diverse habitat that we still know too little about. Wildlife biologist Sophia Kimmig is on the trail of the secrets of the night.

Dr Rosa is no stranger to the Amazon. Growing up with the rainforest as her back garden, she learnt the lessons of the rainforest from her grandmother, a native healer in natural medicine. In this debut, you'll learn about Dr Rosa's journeys in the Amazon: her treacherous encounters with a boiling river, her conservation work with stingless bees, her experience of taking ayahuasca as a natural psychedelic—and all the amazing biodiversity of the rainforest.

Reaching the top of the world in 1953 was one of the most significant achievements in the history of human endurance.

To buy your first boat, you must ask yourself a number of questions like assessing your needs and budget, determining your boating goals, considering types of boats, and setting a realistic budget. Therefore, in reading this book, you will be guided in exploring different types of boats, understanding boat features and options, assessing whether you want to purchase a new vs. used boat, understanding ownership costs, and finding the right boat for yourself and your family. You will be guided as to how to inspect and sea-trial your potential boat and negotiate the price.

In the heart of the Swiss Alps stand the three majestic peaks of the Bernese Oberland, Europe's most famous mountain range. The highest, at 13,638 feet, is the Jungfrau. Next is the Mönch, at 13,465 feet. But it is the smallest, the Eiger, rising 13,038 feet above sea level, that is by far the deadliest.

Almost all environmental books treat the environmental crisis as though humans are in charge of nature, rather than part of it. The Earth and I is the first book to put all preconceived notions aside and to ask, naïvely: Who are we really? What is our relationship to the earth? How is it possible that we, out of all the millions of species, have come to destroy our common home? The answers are surprising and have far-reaching implications for those searching for solutions.

This audiobook is designed to assist you in understanding new concepts and the unique terminology that is used in the world of boating. It is an excellent starting point for those undertaking their first boating experience in order to make sense of the first few days on board, or as a handy reference tool for those returning to the sport after time away from it.