At a ceremony in London yesterday, the 2025 William Hill Sports Book of the Year was awarded to Pippa York and David Walsh for their memoir The Escape: The Tour, The Cyclist and Me.
The winning authors each share the £30,000 prize and take home the prestigious trophy.
York, a former Tour de France cyclist who competed 11 times under the name Robert Millar, and Walsh, the long-established Irish sports writer, crafted a book that blends cycling history, the psychological and social challenges of elite sport, and personal revelation.
In accepting the prize, York called the book “emotional and difficult to write,” while Walsh said the honour was “overwhelming.”
The judges praised The Escape as a “tour de force,” citing its engaging narrative that explores both the troubled past of cycling and York’s own journey — told through a travelogue that captures not only the beauty of the sport, but the weight of its history.
A “Heavyweight” Shortlist: Seven Books Battled for the Crown
This year’s shortlist — described by judges as “heavyweight” — offered a wide sweep of sports writing: from memoirs and cycling to cricket, football, boxing, endurance sport, and global sporting politics.
The full 2025 shortlist was:
Finding the Edge — by Sir James Anderson (with Felix White)
Ultra Women — by Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson
States of Play — by Miguel Delaney
The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing — by two-time former winner, Donald McRae
Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, And The World — by James Montague
Test Cricket — by Tim Wigmore
The Escape: The Tour, The Cyclist and Me — by Pippa York & David Walsh
Each of the six runners-up receives a leather-bound copy of their book and £3,000.
The judges noted that several books on this year’s shortlist grapple with issues far beyond the field — exploring power, identity, the influence of politics and money, and the hidden human cost of elite sporting culture.
Cricket, boxing, and cycling got prominent mention — but the list also embraces broader topics: gender and endurance in Ultra Women, the politics of contemporary sport and global economics in Engulfed, and football’s shifting power dynamics in States of Play.
In a world where sport seems ever more global, commercial, and controversial, the 2025 shortlisted books underscore how powerful writing about sport can still be.
The William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award remains the world’s longest-established and most lucrative prize for sports writing — first awarded in 1989.
At 37 years old, the award continues to value courageous storytelling that doesn’t shy away from complexity.
David Walsh is a back to back winner for Ireland in the award which was won last year by Conor Niland and The Racket.
Image Credits: William Hill
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