Downhill (Paperback)

Benjamin Marks

ISBN 13: 9798991753517

Published by Benjamin Marks, 2024

About this Item

Paperback. DOWNHILL is about more than two Tour de France rivals cycling through French wine country. It's about love, adventure, and intelligent yet flawed characters coming to grips with the often duplicitous world of luxury wine.Austin Musgraves is an ex-Tour de France rider who is reliving his former days of glory on a bicycle in the high alps of Savoie, France. He meets Guillaume Babineau, a former rival from the Tour, while riding "Stage 10" of the Tour route from thirteen years ago. Guillaume offers to show him "the life," and Austin follows Guillaume on an odyssey through the wine country of Burgundy. Austin drinks too much and cares too little as he charms his way into the arms of wealthy women in the most elite and prestigious corners of the world of wine.At a party, Austin has a chance encounter with Regina von Katzenelnbogen, an Austrian socialite and wine negociant, who is eager to introduce him to some of her well-heeled American business clientele. Regina and Austin get together as he hits it off with the other Americans, and Regina suggests that he take them on a biking tour through the Route des Grand Crus. Austin becomes an overnight success and is soon taking business travelers of all stripes bicycling through the most expensive vineyards in the world, while Regina is making a very tidy profit from selling them her wine. Then, Austin meets Reece, a former high-powered tech company executive from California who is "floating around the world in a golden parachute." Torn between the old world and the new world, he is left with a decision to make when Austin discovers that Regina's wine business might be nefarious.DOWNHILL is great for adults interested in cycling, wine, and dialogue-driven storytelling. It is equal parts fun page-turning adventure and biting existentialist satire of modern life. It is currently ranked #1 in new releases for cycling and for wine on Amazon Kindle. When American ex-Tour de France cyclist Austin Musgraves reconnects with his former rival Guillaume Babineau, Guillaume takes him on a different kind of tour through the wine vineyards of Burgundy and introduces him to "the life." This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9798991753517

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Downhill (Paperback)
• Publisher: Benjamin Marks
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798991753517
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

When American ex-Tour de France cyclist Austin Musgraves reconnects with his former rival Guillaume Babineau biking through Savoie, France, he begins to embrace French culture as Guillaume introduces him to “the life.” As Austin ponders what Guillaume means by “the life,” their travels lead them to Burgundy where Austin meets Regina von Katzenelnbogen, an Austrian négociant and socialite, at a rooftop party. Regina takes an interest in Austin and invites him to a wine-tasting she is hosting for some American businessmen. Austin successfully wins them over, allowing Regina’s profits to soar when they buy cases of expensive wine. In return, Regina educates Austin on the various wine vintages and buys him extravagant clothing. While making a delivery for Regina, Austin notices a suspicious car following him and eventually learns the secret of her success. Will he keep her secret, or will he move on in his search for “the life”?