Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling

Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling

by WilliamFotheringham (Author)

Synopsis

Bernard Hinault is one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He is a five-time winner of the Tour de France and the only man to have won each of the Grand Tours on more than one occasion. Three decades on from his retirement, he remains the last Frenchman to win the Tour de France. His victory in 1985 marks the turning point when the nation who had dominated the first eight decades of the race they had invented suddenly found they were no longer able to win it. Hinault is the last 'old-school' champion: a larger-than-life character from a working-class background, capable of winning on all terrains, in major Tours and one-day Classics. Nicknamed the 'Badger' for his combative style, he led a cyclists' strike in his first Tour and instigated a legendary punch-up with demonstrators in 1982 while in the middle of a race. Hinault's battles with team-mates Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond provide some of the greatest moments in Tour history. In Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling, William Fotheringham finally gets to the bottom of this fascinating character and explores the reasons why the nation that considers itself cycling's home has found it so hard to produce another champion.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Publisher: Yellow Jersey
Published: 14 May 2015

ISBN 10: 0224092049
ISBN 13: 9780224092043
Book Overview: The definitive biography of France's greatest cyclist by the number one bestselling author of Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike

Media Reviews
One of cycling's most fascinating characters Sport Thorough, well-researched, and highly readable biography from Will Fotheringham about one of cycling's best ever riders Road Shows that a now-fading Breton grassroots cycling culture was as important as a desperate will to win in making France's last Tour de France champion -- Huw Richards Guardian
Author Bio
William Fotheringham is the number one bestselling author of Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike. He writes for the Guardian and Observer on cycling and rugby and is the critically lauded author of Fallen Angel, Roule Britannia, and Put Me Back on My Bike, which Velo magazine called 'the best cycling biography ever written'. A racing cyclist and launch editor of Procycling and Cycle Sport magazines, he has reported on over twenty Tours de France.