Tom Simpson was one of Britain’s greatest cyclists, a trailblazer whose ambition and talent propelled him to the top of the sport in the 1960s. From his early days racing in England to becoming the first British winner of the Tour of Flanders and conquering Milan-San Remo, Simpson’s career was marked by determination and flair. His life and tragic death on Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour de France remain one of cycling’s most compelling stories. In Cycling Legends 01: Tom Simpson, author Chris Sidwells—Simpson’s own nephew—offers a deeply personal and meticulously researched biography, blending race analysis with intimate family insights. This book not only captures the highs and lows of Simpson’s career but also provides a rare glimpse into the man behind the legend.
Earning a living as a professional bicycle racer has never been easy but in today’s world of science-based coaching, enhanced understanding of nutrition, featherweight equipment, aero clothing, and, at the WorldTour level at least, good remuneration history reminds us that it was not always so. Tom Simpson (winner of Milan-San Remo sixty-one years ago) was one of Britain’s greatest riders and while lacking those modern accoutrements he did not lack for talent and certainly not for ambition before his untimely death at the 1967 Tour de France on the bald rock landscape of Mont Ventoux.
“Tom Simpson” is the first volume in a new series of books, “Cycling Legends,” written by English author Chris Sidwells, who has more than 1,000 articles and 20 books about cycling to his name. What makes this book unusual is that Sidwells is actually the nephew of Simpson, who passed away when the writer was 11 years old. So in addition to the very thorough look at Simpson’s career as a racer here, we also get insight into what he was like as a man, a husband and a father.
Born in 1937 in Haswell, a mining town in County Durham in the northeast of England, Simpson was not particularly good at sports as a child but was extremely competitive and when his brother was seeing some success on the bike Tom, 14, joined the local cycling club to race too. It was clear that in spite of his small size he had a serious turn of speed and showed particular promise on the track. By the tender age of 18 he went with the British national team to Russia for some events, his first time out of the country. Shortly thereafter he went with the British Olympic Team to Melbourne and the 1956 Games, where the UK pursuit team took home a bronze medal although Simpson did not have a good race and felt he let down the team. Nonetheless he learned quickly and by 1958 he dominated track racing in the UK. But he had ambitions for greater things and by 1959 he was racing in Europe as a professional with Raphaël Géminiani’s Saint-Raphaël team. In his first year he won two stages of the Tour de l’Ouest and a very creditable fourth place at the World Championships in Zaandvoort.
His trajectory as a rider was on an upward turn over the next several years. While there was a handful of British riders in the peloton back then, it would have been a struggle for a young English pro to adjust to a very different lifestyle, with constant travel, foreign languages and the pressure to perform. The racing season was a long one and while visibility was to be had in the big races, money seems to have come primarily from the kermesses, local criterium races held primarily in Belgium but other countries as well, in addition to Six Day Races in the winter. The section of the book describing Simpson’s rapid rise in the closed society of Six Day specialists is particularly interesting.
Simpson understood how to market himself, which was probably pretty easy as he seems to have been a natural entertainer, with an excellent sense of humour. The press was happy to take him up on his persona as an English gentleman, with bowler hat and brolly, and by all accounts he was popular with his fellow racers.
In 1961 Simpson became the first (and so far only) British winner of the Tour of Flanders and the following year came second at Paris-Nice. Then in 1963 Simpson joined the mighty Peugeot-BP-Michelin team and it was with them he was to achieve his finest results. These included the punishing 557 km Bordeaux-Paris race in 1963, high placing in several stages of the Tour in 1964 and 1966, victory at Milan-San Remo in 1965 and the Giro di Lombardia in 1965, the same year he was to win the World Championships and the Rainbow Jersey.
However, Simpson’s results, while impressive, were not enough to satisfy his ambition. As well as the positive elements of his personality, Simpson could be somewhat feckless. A skiing accident prevented him from cashing in on the benefits of having the Rainbow Jersey in 1966 and his results that year were below par. Now approaching 30 and concerned about making the most of his earning years, he wanted to win more than ever—and one can only imagine what it would have been like to have Eddy Merckx and your new young teammate, as the Belgian joined the Peugeot team in 1966.
1967 started well for Simpson, with the overall title at Paris-Nice and stage wins at the Vuelta. The Tour de France was run with national teams at the time and so Simpson found himself leading a squad of fellow Brits. By Stage 12 he was holding 7th place in the General Classification, already more than 8 minutes behind Tour leader Roger Pingeon, who would go on to win the race that year. Stage 13 was to be the end of Tom Simpson’s race as he collapsed and died in the blistering heat on Mont Ventoux.
His actual cause of death is debated but the coroner’s report is not available (records in France being destroyed after a specific period). There is speculation that evidence of amphetamines and alcohol were found in his blood but the cause of death was described by the press at the time as “heart failure due to exhaustion.” This is the cyclesport side of the story, which has been written about by many. And many cyclists today, making the arduous passage up Ventoux from Bedoin, stop to reflect at the Simpson memorial, one km below the summit.
What makes this book stand out is the personal aspect and the clear sympathy that Simpson’s story evokes. Sidwells interviewed many of the people who knew Simpson, both as an athlete and a family man. Simpson’s wife Helen is here, along with her husband Barry Hoban, a teammate of Simpson’s who married Helen in 1969. There is also an interview with Simpson’s daughters, who were six and four at the time of their father’s death, and they consider his legacy.
“Tom Simpson” is a fine biography of someone who took pride in his accomplishments and never gave less than his all. Originally published in 2018, the book was reissued to mark the 60th anniversary of Simpson’s World Championship. The many photographs included give a real sense of that time when Simpson was at the top of the cycling game, a game different from ours of today but perhaps not worlds apart.
Cycling Legends 01 “Tom Simpson” by Chris Sidwells
150 pp., profusely illustrated, softcover
Cycling Legends, UK, 2018
ISBN 978-1-9164170-0-7
Price: £20 / €29.95 / US$31.99, with delivery – flat €6.95 to EU and $9.99 to USA by Tracked Air Freight, all taxes included.
It should be noted that “Tom Simpson” was the first in an expanding series of Cycling Legends publications and we will be reviewing the others here soon. The publisher is offering 15% off each book if you buy two or more of the collection.
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