Herbie Sykes's Books

The Race Against the Stasi

The Incredible Story of Dieter Wiedemann, the Iron Curtain and the Greatest Cycling Race on Earth

By: Herbie Sykes

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The Race Against the Stasi

The Incredible Story of Dieter Wiedemann, the Iron Curtain and the Greatest Cycling Race on Earth

By: Herbie Sykes

Cycling Book of the Year - Cross British Sports Book Awards When the ‘Iron Curtain’ descended across Europe, Dieter Wiedemann was a hero of East German sport. A podium finisher in The Peace Race, the Eastern Bloc equivalent of the Tour de France, he was a pin-up for the supremacy of socialism over the ‘fascist’ West. Unbeknownst to the authorities, however, he had fallen in love with Sylvia Hermann, a girl from the other side of the wall. Socialist doctrine had it that the two of them were ‘class enemies’, and as a famous athlete Dieter’s every move was pored over by the Stasi. Only he abhorred their ideology, and in Sylvia saw his only chance of freedom. Now, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse, he plotted his escape. In 1964 he was delegated, once and once only, to West Germany. Here he was to ride a qualification race for the Tokyo Olympics, but instead committed the most treacherous of all the crimes against socialism. Dieter Wiedemann, sporting icon and Soviet pawn, defected to the other side. Whilst Wiedemann fulfilled his lifetime ambition of racing in the Tour de France, his defection caused a huge scandal. The Stasi sought to ‘repatriate’ him, with horrific consequences both for him and the family he left behind. Fifty years on, and twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Dieter Wiedemann decided it was time to tell his story. Through his testimony and that of others involved, and through the Stasi file, which has stalked him for half a century, Herbie Sykes uncovers an astonishing tale. It is one of love and betrayal, of the madness at the heart of the cold war, and of the greatest bike race in history.

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Page Count

400

Publisher

Aurum

Published Date

ISBN 10

1781314403

ISBN 13

9781781314401

The Race Against the Stasi

The Incredible Story of Dieter Wiedemann, the Iron Curtain and the Greatest Cycling Race on Earth

By: Herbie Sykes

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The Race Against the Stasi

The Incredible Story of Dieter Wiedemann, the Iron Curtain and the Greatest Cycling Race on Earth

By: Herbie Sykes

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Page Count

400

Publisher

Aurum

Published Date

ISBN 10

1781314403

ISBN 13

9781781314401

Maglia Rosa 2nd Edition

Triumph and Tragedy at the Giro D'Italia

By: Herbie Sykes

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Maglia Rosa 2nd Edition

Triumph and Tragedy at the Giro D'Italia

By: Herbie Sykes

[This book] is the definitive history of the Giro d'Italia, written by Turin resident and regular Rouleur contributor Herbie Sykes. Sykes takes the reader on an inspiring, magical journey. In so doing he evokes 100 years of the race for the maglia rosa, the mythical pink jersey of the race leader.

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Page Count

337

Publisher

A&C Black

Published Date

ISBN 10

140819001X

ISBN 13

9781408190012

One Tough Dame

The Life and Career of Diana Rigg

By: Herbie J Pilato

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One Tough Dame

The Life and Career of Diana Rigg

By: Herbie J Pilato

One Tough Dame: The Life and Career of Diana Rigg offers a sweeping portrait of the revered performer’s life and career. Deemed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1994, Diana Rigg (1938–2020) initially found fame as super sleuth Mrs. Emma Peel in the 1960s BBC/ABC-TV espionage series The Avengers. A classically trained and multi-award-winning thespian, Rigg is known for her diverse body of work — from her big-screen debut in 1969 as Countess Teresa di Vincenzo, wife of James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, to her Tony Award–winning, leading role in Medea on Broadway, culminating with her Emmy-nominated portrayal as Lady Olenna Tyrell on the heralded small-screen gem Game of Thrones. This eclectic volume traces Rigg’s career as a renowned star of television, film, and the stage. The author includes insights from rare, archived interviews, encompassing both video dialogues conducted by the University of Kent and Oxford Union. The meticulously curated archival material is further complemented by equally rare photos and retrospections drawn from diverse media sources and hitherto unpublished accounts from the people who knew Rigg best, affording readers an unprecedented, all-encompassing glimpse into her private world. With exclusive commentary from Rupert Macnee (son of Riggs’s Avengers costar and dear friend Patrick Macnee); the show’s stunt coordinator/director Ray Austin; actors Samuel West, Bernie Kopell, Barbara Barrie, Juliet Mills, John Schuck, and Damon Evans; director Bruce Beresford; and documentarian David Naylor, among others, One Tough Dame delivers an in-depth perspective of a beloved, brave, brilliant, and trailblazing actor.

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Page Count

167

Publisher

Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published Date

ISBN 10

149685280X

ISBN 13

9781496852809

The Race Against the Stasi

The Incredible Story of Dieter Wiedemann, The Iron Curtain and the Greatest Cycling Race on Earth

By: Herbie Sykes

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The Race Against the Stasi

The Incredible Story of Dieter Wiedemann, The Iron Curtain and the Greatest Cycling Race on Earth

By: Herbie Sykes

When the 'Iron Curtain' descended across Europe, Dieter Wiedemann was a hero of East German sport. A podium finisher in The Peace Race, the Eastern Bloc equivalent of the Tour de France, he was a pin up for the supremacy of socialism over the 'fascist' West. Unbeknownst to the authorities, however, he had fallen in love with Sylvia Hermann, a girl from the other side of the wall. Socialist doctrine had it that the two of them were 'class enemies', and as a famous athlete Dieter's every move was pored over by the Stasi. Only he abhorred their ideology, and in Sylvia saw his only chance of freedom. Now, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse, he plotted his escape. In 1964 he was delegated, once and once only, to West Germany. Here he was to ride a qualification race for the Tokyo Olympics, but instead committed the most treacherous of all the crimes against socialism. Dieter Wiedemann, sporting icon and Soviet pawn, defected to the other side. Whilst Wiedemann fulfilled his lifetime ambition of racing in the Tour de France, his defection caused a huge scandal. The Stasi sought to 'repatriate' him, with horrific consequences both for him and the family he left behind. Fifty years on, and twenty five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Dieter Wiedemann decided it was time to tell his story. Through his testimony and that of others involved, and through the Stasi file, which has stalked him for half a century, Herbie Sykes uncovers an astonishing tale. It is one of love and betrayal, of the madness at the heart of the cold war, and of the greatest bike race in history.

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Page Count

544

Published Date

ISBN 10

1459691091

ISBN 13

9781459691094

Eagle of the Canavese

By: Herbie Sykes

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Eagle of the Canavese

By: Herbie Sykes

In capturing the 1962 Giro 22-year-old Franco Balmamion displayed extraordinary courage, but his story remains ignored by the cycling world. In his quest to recover Balmamion's memory Herbie Sykes rediscovers the romantic, parochial community of Italian cycling in the 60s. This is a book about courage, deceit, joy and the sadness of lost careers.

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Page Count

190

Publisher

Mousehold Press for Basque Children of '37 Association UK

Published Date

ISBN 10

1874739501

ISBN 13

9781874739500

Coppi

Inside the Legend of the Campionissimo

By: Herbie Sykes

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Coppi

Inside the Legend of the Campionissimo

By: Herbie Sykes

Herbie Sykes's Coppi is a beautiful, unique evocation of global cycling legend Fausto Coppi. Built around an extraordinary collection of hand-picked, never before seen images, the book also features testimony from those who knew him intimately. Fausto Coppi remains the most iconic cyclist in the history of the sport. For twenty years either side of the war his extravagant talent, allied to a unique charisma and human frailty, captivated sports fans across Europe. Moreover, he revolutionised the sport of bike racing itself, laying the foundations for the generations who would follow. Coppi was Il Campionissimo, his greatness so unequivocal that his celebrity transcended mere sport. As such both his professional and private lives were endlessly pawed over by his country's insatiable post-war media. In deserting his wife and daughter for a divorcée in 1954, he traumatised Catholic Italy. Thereafter his life became a soap opera from which he was unable to escape until his dramatic death in 1960. These images, many among them genuine masterpieces, were unearthed through hours of painstaking research. Allied to the personal truths of those closest to him, they reveal the man behind the Fausto Coppi myth. Put simply, the book strips away many of the half-truths and downright lies which have been grafted onto his legend over the decades. As such it's a very different kind of sports biography, and a must-have for all genuine cycling fans.

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Page Count

322

Publisher

A&C Black

Published Date

ISBN 10

1408181665

ISBN 13

9781408181669

Book's by Herbie Sykes

The Race Against the Stasi

The Race Against the Stasi

The Race Against the Stasi

The Race Against the Stasi

Maglia Rosa 2nd Edition

Maglia Rosa 2nd Edition

One Tough Dame

One Tough Dame

The Race Against the Stasi

The Race Against the Stasi

Eagle of the Canavese

Eagle of the Canavese

Coppi

Coppi

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