Book Review - Sky's The Limit - Richard Moore

Richard Moore's 'Sky's The Limit' is a book that explores the birth of the team we all now know so well, Sky Procycling. The men in black have been something of an enigma since their inception in 2010, and Dave Brailsford's bold announcement when he launched the team, 'to win the Tour de France with a British rider within five years', certainly provoked a reaction from the peloton.

Sky's The Limit chronicles the rise of Team Sky, through their inception and teething problems during the 2010 Tour de France, right through to their signing of the fastest man in the world, Mark Cavendish, and their successful 2012 Tour de France in which Bradley Wiggins (now sir) fulfilled Brailsford's lofty goal of winning the Tour de France.

The book is exceptionally well researched, and keeps you entertained throughout its entirity. Moore's ability to introduce us to new anecdotes rather than recycling old, already well known anecdotes is refreshing, and the anecdote in the Prologue section of the book about Bob Stapleton commenting on Sky speaks volumes. 

The book also avoided the temptation to be patriotic, as of course Richard Moore is British, and writing about the rise of a British team must have garnered the temptation to be a little patriotic, but Moore remains objective, which is refreshing from British journalists writing about Team Sky. Moore is not afraid to point out that it was not smooth sailing the entire way for Brailsford's band of men.

The main word that comes to mind when describing the book is inciteful, as it tears down some of the mysteries of Team Sky, who although shouting their transparency from the rooftops when they were created, have often been cagey when asked about the more unsavoury aspects of professional cycling. I'd definitely recommend the book, and would read it again.

Book: Sky's The Limit            Author: Richard Moore            Grade: A