The autobiography of Irish cycling legend Stephen Roche, who in 1987 defied all odds to win cycling's "triple crown"

On September 6, 1987, Stephen Roche touched greatness. Victory at the World Cycling Championship in Austria completed a near-unprecedented "triple crown" that included triumphs in the same year at the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. In April, against all odds, he fought his own team and an angry, partisan Italian crowd who spat at him on his way to taking the Giro. In July a superhuman effort at La Plagne saw him secure the yellow jersey just before he blacked out. Roche's victory in Austria confirmed his virtuosity. His autobiography uses his best year as the starting point to explore the rest of his life. He doesn't hold back as he examines the many ups and downs of his time on and off the bike, scrutinizing victories, defeats, rivals, serious injury, doping allegations, and agonizing family breakdown. For all his charm and rare, natural talent, beneath the surface lies an incredible tenacity and determination. Roche finally reveals himself as a smiling assassin; a master-strategist who lives to attack.