LONDON (Reuters) -Former Tour de France cyclist Pippa York and Irish journalist David Walsh have won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award for 'The Escape: The Tour, the Cyclist and Me', a work York hopes will help portray transgender people as "respectable and ordinary".
York, who transitioned from Robert Millar nearly a decade ago and now works as a cycling journalist, said the 30,000-pound ($39,471) prize felt like "reaching the summit" and expressed hope the book would counter negative perceptions.
"We're just human beings, we're normal people," she said after receiving the trophy in London.
Walsh, shortlisted for the same award in 2013 for 'Seven Deadly Sins', said the book aimed to avoid political debate and instead tell a human story. "It's about two people who love the Tour de France, forming a friendship and understanding," he said.
The narrative weaves together Millar's cycling career, York's transition and her and Walsh's shared experiences on the road.
York, a former King of the Mountains at the Tour, said winning alongside Walsh made the achievement even sweeter, a sentiment shared by Walsh. "Reaching the summit is great but reaching it with someone else is even better," Walsh added.
($1 = 0.7601 pounds)
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Christian Radnedge)
