Cycling is one of the world's great sports. From The Tour de France to the Paris-Roubaix to velodromes across the globe, it encompasses many disciplines: from climbing mountains to massed sprints to the loneliness of the time trial.

But what separates race winners from the nearly men? Top cyclists are physically similar, train the right way, eat the right things, and yet there is something that separates them. It's their hidden engine - not a secret mechanical aid - but what's between their ears that makes the difference.

In this superbly-researched and accessible book for...