The Accidental Tour-ist cover art

The Accidental Tour-ist

(Final) Dispatches from the Road

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The Accidental Tour-ist

By: Ned Boulting
Narrated by: Ned Boulting
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents The Accidental Tour-ist: (Final) Dispatches from the Road, written and read by Ned Boulting

FROM THE WINNER OF THE SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2024 CYCLING BOOK OF THE YEAR: 1923

'A fascinating and inspiring book … An excellent read' – Phill Liggett MBE

In the follow up to the bestselling How I Won the Yellow Jumper and the award-winning 1923, this is a lap of honour for everything that Ned has been lucky enough to have experienced during his commentating career.

Join Ned once more as he brings his cycling stories up to the present day – full of recollections of chaotic, memorable and sometimes surreal encounters with all the key riders. While the Tour de France takes centre stage, his horizons expand far beyond its confines to take in races across Europe as well as to fascinating locations in the Middle East, China and Malaysia.

There are behind-the-scenes chapters on life at the Giro d'Italia; the growth of women's racing; forays into podcasting; replacing the great Phil Liggett as ITV's main commentator; the Flemish classics; and the life and times of Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish.

Ride along as Ned travels around the UK with a stage show about the Tour de France, and on the many days that he and David Millar have spent quixotically riding folding bikes up and down enormous mountains.©2025 Ned Boulting (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Cycling Sports Funny Witty

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Most relevant
A wonderful collection of memories and stories of following some of the biggest bike races in the world…and some of the smallest ones too!
I’ve always enjoyed Ned Boulting’s work and this is no different. It’s the first time I’ve listened to an audiobook of his work and I’m now questioning why, as he delivers the book with the same pitch and cadence that I’ve become used to listening to him commentate on some of the biggest bike races in the world…and some of the smallest ones too!

If anything, this book confirms just how sad it is that we will lose Ned’s contribution to the Tour with the end of free to air coverage.

Incredibly Well Written & Narrated

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Loved it from the start to the finish.
Funny tales and informative in regards to behind the scenes info.
Nuration spot on,

Excellent book for roadies

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It is purely because of greed of Warner Bros that Ned is going to be for the last time commentating on the most famous race in the world, on free TV. There is nothing but money standing behind the decision to put cycling behind a 30 quid pay wall. It will in the years to come become obvious how mad and sad of a decision this was.
Ned is amazing. His books are like gems. His tours are fun. He seems a genuinely great bloke. It doesn't matter that he is an "accidental" cyclist. And Wiggins is wrong; Ned knows a lot about the sport. (The fact that the ex mod is now in bed with a bunch of dopers speaks volumes)
This book is exactly what you'd expect; a memoir to a friend too early deceased.
I hope that Ned find a way to stay in the sport and it won't be within the WB greedy family.
I'll be seeing him live next time around. Somewhere, some time...

This book should never have been allowed to be written.

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Ned is a great storyteller and brilliant to listen to. I could listen to him all day. I took a friend who knows pretty little about cycling to his most recent show and he absolutely loved it. This book is the same very accessible.

Ned tells stories so well

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Really enjoyed it, brilliant to get some insight into Ned’s perspective through the last 50 or so years and particularly relating to prominent figures in cycling. Worth a listen!

Excellent!

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