Riding Through The Storm: My Fight Back to Fitness on the Tour de France

Whenever you feel that life is throwing things at you that you can't handle, take a read of this book.I came across the C4 documentary on the 2009 Tour de France coverage of Geoff Thomas's ride in 2007 and was inspired to find out more about him and his foundation. This book was the starting point.I had to keep putting it down and take a few deep breaths when I read some of his account of the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and recovery from Leukaemia. His description of the effect it had on his family and the suport he received from everybody he knew, including those who he hadn't counted as friends before, is moving to a staggering degree.Together with Lance Armstrong's book "It's not about the bike" (unfortunatley this title has proved to be true since I originally wrote the review), it is one of the most inspirational stories I have ever read. As with Lance, the bike only gives a context to the real story of suffering, courage and ultimately triumph over disease. Sadly, it also contains stories about some of those who didn't make it and it is to them that Geoff credits a great deal of the single-minded determination that he displayed when making some of the difficult choices about his treatment.The book itself is well written and the switching from past to present does not get in the way of the story itself, which is about one man's fight back to health and fitness and the gratitude he feels towards those who made it possible and his determination to give something back to enable them to help others along the same difficult journey.

Having just been through a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant myself I found this book very helpful to read prior to starting my treatment. Even though there is more about football in the book (not interesting to me) than the transplant/treatment, the overall sentiments that came through really helped me. And dealing with all the challenges made interesting reading. Amazing achievement after a relatively short time after his transplant. Very inspiring. Thanks Geoff.

Great readI like football and cycling so for me it was GoodI never realised what he'd gone through with his illness and all that comes with itI just remember hearing about it at the timeIt gave me motivation to get my bike out and get up those hillsSo thanks Geoff for the inspiration.

Very simply, the book splits into three areas : Geoff's disease and his fight against it, his football career and cycling / Le Tour. Chapters are interweaved regarding these and it works. Whilst I admire his grit and determination and enjoyed the book, I would have liked more on the cycling aspect.

Excellent condition

Loved this book, inspired me to put a whole lot more effort into my riding. Have re read it a couple of times now.

This is a very different sporting "autobiography". Even as a Crystal Palace supporter, Geoff Thomas, although an excellent player for Palace, summed up what English football was all about in the late 1980s / early 1990s: hard work & perspiration as opposed to inherent skill & inspiration, summed up by "that" miss against France. He admits as much in his writing, and at times when referring to his playing days he does come across as self-centred and not the most likeable character.But a book on Geoff's days as a player would not be that interesting to any but a hard core of fans, even one who underwent 27 operations during his career. Instead of a linear autobiography, this book has three strands interposed: his playing days; his being diagnosed with leukaemia and the treatment he endured; and - the effort that really makes his story stand out - his decision to lead a small team to ride the entire course of the Tour de France in 2005 in order to raise money for research into the disease which nearly - and still could - kill him.The Tour is the only section of the book that is presented in chronological order. It is split up with excerpts about his footballing days, and the harrowing tales of his cancer treatment. This is a good idea as the tales of chemotherapy and radiation treatment are harrowing. The cycling sections are also full of angst at times, as the sheer scale of the team's achievement shines through.Don't buy this book if you want to read about Geoff's playing days, as there is not much of that. But if you want a tale of overcoming great obstacles and the successful accomplishment of a man who frankly should never have even contemplated the training required, let alone tackling the Alps and the Pyrenees, then I thoroughly recommend it.

Geoff Thomas is without doubt an inspirational character and his ride of the Tour de France route is a superhuman effort. Raising money for cancer and aiding his recovery are feats of pure heroics.I picked up the book expecting it to be a focus on the ride and the battle against leukemia. It's a mixed bag and I was left with the feeling that it tried to cram to much into too few pages, it was autobiography, ride highlights vs. low points and the cancer battle story.For me it had too much emphasis on the football, the missed chip against France is an obvious and overstated sore point and in places the narrative repeats itself or contradicts itself in a short space. On meeting Graham Taylor again at Wolves, we are told that he grinned as if to say we meet again Geoff, a few pages later we are told that when they met again Graham Taylor said ahh we meet again. I suppose the editing of the book lets it down.There are great moments concerning the ride such as when the fans emerge from their camper vans late in the night to cheer the riders up the final climb of the day. You get a sense of the suffering endured everyday and I suppose that the ride is one long punishment with a few noteworthy events occuring every other day.Just to ride one stage of the Tour is a great achievment for an experienced rider but for Geoff and the team to do it after only six months of cycling and training is a hats-off colossal thing - good for you Geoff.