Blazing Saddles - Hardcover

Rendell, Matt

3.53

159 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847241557 ISBN 13: 9781847241559

Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc, 2007

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Few sporting contests have roused such blind passions and filthy suspicions as the Tour de France. From Lance Armstrong's incredible comeback from cancer, to Tom Simpson's death on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, the Tour has been the stage for some of sport's most monumental triumphs and the scene of some of its darkest hours. Since Maurice Garin's inaugural victory in 1903, hundreds of thousands of kilometres have been covered in pursuit of the yellow jersey - cycling's holy grail - and few have been without incident or drama. And on 7 July 2007, the whole pedalling circus is descending on London! But, will the Great British Public be ready for an invasion of neck to thigh slippery lycra, gaudy Geiger-alien headwear, aerodynamic neoprene pixyboots, and Space Age carbon fibre bicycles weighing less than a dinky toy but costing more than a family car? Not without this book, they won't. It's a no-holds-barred look at the rivalries, characters and controversies that have given century-old race its unique colour. Matt Rendell's vivid and entertaining narrative combines the Tour's golden legends with tales from its dark side, capturing the true and often surreal spirit of the world's most arduous race.

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About the Author:

Matt Rendell is the UK's foremost cycling journalist and author. He has written and presented for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and was the editor of The Official Tour de France Centennial 1903-2003 which was a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller in hardback. He is also the author of Kings of the Mountains, A Significant Other and The Death of Marco Pantani, which is currently short-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. The National Sporting Club named Matt the 'Best New Sports Writer' of 2003.

Review:

"A concise and thrilling year-by-year history of the Tour de France. Blazing Saddles is great for road race buffs, but it's also perfect for anyone with even a passing interest in the Tour." --Out There Monthly

-- Out There Monthly, June, 2008

"This book earned Podium Cafe's first ever five-star rating! Blazing Saddles takes a brief look at each edition of the Tour and tries to ferret out a story or two that adds color to the sport. Call it 92 stories about the Tour de France, if you will. The book's essential value lies in bringing many of these lost stories back to life. Rendell carefully picks out those stories which lend both color and insight into the world's greatest race and the utterly abnormal people destined to ride it." --PodiumCafe.com -- PodiumCafe.com, June, 2008

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