The Escape

Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2025

A Sunday Times Best Book of 2025

A Guardian Best Sports Book 2025

A unique memoir from British cyclingâs most fascinating competitor.

In the summer of 2020, sportswriter David Walsh invited Pippa York began a series of journeys following the Tour de France. A nostalgic voyage through the worldâs most competitive bike race â" for Walsh it was the chance to get to know the Tourâs most enigmatic riders. For York, it was a chance to revisit the race she had ridden eleven times as Robert Millar.

This book is the result â" a unique and captivating sporting odyssey. The Escape blends the details of Pippa and Davidâs journeys with the iconic landmarks of the Tour de France to explore her early years in working-class Glasgow, her entry into competitive cycling, the psychological demands of the sport, and how they shaped her personality. It recounts her career highs and lows, life after racing, and her transition in her 40s.

Touching on doping, gender in sport, and the everyday magic of the Tour, The Escape is an unforgettable travelogue and a candid, one-of-a-kind memoir from one of cyclingâs most enigmatic competitors.