Pippa York and David Walsh win William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2025

Former Tour de France cyclist Pippa York and esteemed Irish sports journalist David Walsh have won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2025 with York’s unique memoir The Escape: The Tour, the Cyclist and Me.

The Escape details Scottish stage-race specialist York and Sunday Times chief sports writer Walsh’s travels at recent editions of the Tour de France, tackling topics of doping, gender and sports psychology, discussing York’s 11 appearances on the Tour as Robert Millar.

Glasgow-born York, one of Britain’s most successful road cyclists, wins the award with her debut release, becoming the fifth cycling book in the competition’s history to claim the famous trophy.

Walsh becomes the latest Irishman to pick up the prestigious award, following the success of his countryman Conor Niland, who won the 2024 prize with The Racket, co-written with journalist Gavin Cooney.

The Escape was selected from a shortlist of seven books by a judging panel chaired by sports journalist Alyson Rudd and including former professional footballer Clarke Carlisle, broadcaster Gabby Logan and comedian Elis James, alongside Dame Heather Rabbatts, Mark Lawson and Michelle Walder.

Winning author York said: “I’m quite surprised to win the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, but very pleased. I have to thank David [Walsh] for his insight into my life, my situation and for his understanding.

“It was good to spend time with David over those summers at the Tour de France. Writing this book was emotional and at times difficult.”

Co-writer Walsh added: “It feels amazing to win the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. This is an important book because it shows that people in Pippa’s situation are human beings. And of all the human beings I travelled with on the Tour de France, she was maybe the single most wonderful.

“The book was a labour of love in a way, because we had such a good time together. For the book to be awarded the greatest prize in the world of sports writing, it’s overwhelming.”

In addition to the prestigious trophy, York and Walsh also share the £30,000 prize. 

Panel praise York and Walsh’s ‘tour de force’

The William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award is dedicated to rewarding excellence in sports writing, first presented in 1989. Now in its 37th year, the award is the world’s longest established and most valuable literary sports-writing prize.

Chair of the judging panel Alyson Rudd said: “It proved to be quite the task for the judging panel to settle on a winner, thanks to a heavyweight shortlist of candidates.

“This year’s nominees exemplified the quality of sports writing, across a broad spectrum of topics, shining a light on some of the key issues of our time – power and its influence, self-reflection and the hidden stories behind elite performance.

“Pippa and David ultimately collected this year’s prize thanks to the engaging narrative of The Escape, a tour de force which explored both the troubled past of cycling and Pippa’s own personal journey, told through the lens of a travelogue style which emphasised the beauty and history of one of sport’s greatest spectacles.”

Impressive Shortlist

Other books shortlisted for the 2025 award included Finding the Edge, the autobiography of Sir James Anderson, co-written by The Maccabees guitarist and author Felix White.

Ultra Women by endurance athletes Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson, States of Play by The Independent journalist Miguel Delaney, and The Last Bell by two-time William Hill Sports Book of the Year winner Donald McRae, also featured.

Engulfed by football journalist James Montague and Test Cricket by Daily Telegraph cricket correspondent Tim Wigmore completed the nominated books. Each shortlisted author received a £3,000 prize.