Sticky Bottle - The Cycling Year According to Carlton Kirby

Carlton Kirby is at it again, bringing us another volume of his memories for our amusement: Sticky Bottle doesn't stray far from the successful formula that he employed to entertain us before. He shows no sign of running out of amusing anecdotes, nor of diminishing his claim to be a 'cycling expert and hilarious raconteur'.

If you're looking for more entertaining reads, check out our guide to 42 of the best cycling books. 

Just as the use of a sticky bottle and a magic spanner are closely related (and give a similar result) in racing, so Sticky Bottle the book is closely related to Kirby's previous publication, Magic Spanner – and also gives a similar result. Much of what I said last time applies equally here.

Kirby has chosen to structure the book around his perfect year of cycle races – although it is really only a vehicle for him to regale us with stories from his life. He hasn't necessarily commentated at all the events, but he has still got tales to tell. So it is that the Tour de France rubs shoulders with our National hill climb.

There is even an entry for Zwift, from when he was in San Francisco 'to help out with the launch of an amazing global gift to cyclists'. There may not to be much logic to its inclusion, but it doesn't really matter: it simply provides the opportunity for more of Kirby's yarns.

Some of the events no longer take place, such as the Tour VTT, 'Mountain Biking's blue riband event'. That will make it hard to experience all the events for yourself – which is something that Kirby encourages us to do.

As with his previous work, not everyone will like Kirby's style. If you enjoy his commentary then you are likely to enjoy his writing. Whatever your views, it is hard to deny that he seems to have experienced more than his fair share of incidents with comedic value that are worth sharing.

Maybe he goes out of his way to create such opportunities, or maybe there is some dramatic licence – but who cares? It's just entertainment. In his foreword, Sean Kelly even comments that 'you might find yourself detecting just the faintest whiff about them'.

It will help if you have a basic grasp of French, because the odd phrase appears without translation or explanation – especially where Kirby makes use of his own language skills. I found it a bit odd, but 'chacun son goût'.

The few images are rather small (and include a few of Kirby's own, which you are unlikely to see elsewhere); the accompanying text is informative and meaningful.

What will Kirby do for a title if he goes for a third volume? There isn't really a suitable phrase if he wants to continue with the same theme (of outside assistance – aka cheating), so perhaps he will have to invent one...

Verdict

A worthy sequel that will give his fans more of what they like