HarperCollins wins memoir from cycling legend York

Mudlark, a non-fiction imprint of HarperCollins, has acquired world all-language rights to the memoir of British cyclist and commentator Pippa York, co-written by the chief sports writer for the Sunday Times, David Walsh.

Mudlark’s publishing director Joel Simons negotiated the deal directly with the authors. The Escape: The Tour, The Cyclist and Me will be published in hardback, audio, and e-book on 31st August 2023. 

In summer 2020, Walsh invited York to join him at the Tour de France and revisit the event that bore witness to some of her greatest career triumphs, including winning the Polka Dot Jersey of the Mountains Classification and placing fourth overall in 1984, when she competed under the name Robert Millar. 

The synopsis for the upcoming title reads: “A unique and entertaining sporting odyssey, The Escape uses the minutiae of Pippa and David’s trip and the iconic landmarks of the Tour de France to explore her early life growing up in working-class Glasgow; her entry into racing; the psychological aspects of the sport and how that manifested itself in her personality; her ups and downs as a competitor; her post-career and her eventual transition in her 40s. 

“Exploring wider subjects including doping, gender in sport, and the unique wonders and day-to-day challenges of the Tour, The Escape is both an unforgettable travelogue through the world’s greatest cycling event and a one-of-a-kind memoir from arguably the sport’s most enigmatic and fascinating competitors.” 

York said: “When David first approached me about covering the Tour with him, I wasn’t quite sure how it would turn out. I knew he’d ask me lots of questions, that’s what he does so well, teasing out information to tell a story so often beautifully crafted. I knew to do the topic justice it would mean revisiting places where there was joy, and others where there was pain and turmoil. Much like the bike race the journey between two places contains physical and emotional elements. Each day was filled with laughter, intrigue and a sharing of views and experiences. Sometimes we even watched the Tour; David with his journalist hat on and fan-like enthusiasm and me trying not to get lost following the sat nav we called Margaret.”

Walsh said: “Almost four weeks in a car extracting words from the stone that was Robert Millar would never have appealed. Pippa York fascinated me though. I won’t use the old cliche of this being a journey. It was a roadtrip. We laughed a lot; we argued a lot. I learned a lot.”

Simons commented: “This is an utterly unique memoir from one of the most gifted and fascinating athletes of our times. I’m delighted to be publishing it on Mudlark this summer.”