The beast, the emperor and the milkman : a bone-shaking tour through cycling's Flemish heartlands
Pearson, Harry2019
Books
Cycling is wildly popular all over Belgium, but in the northern, Dutch-speaking half of the country it is part of the psyche. Flanders is the size of East Anglia with population a tenth of that of Great Britain, yet this small corner of north-west Europe has produced eight winners of the Tour de France, five times as many professional riders as Italy or Spain. Blending reportage, interviews, observation, biography and history and written with affectionate humour by a committed Belgophile, [this book] tells the story of Flanders' neurotic love affair with bike racing, from tough early heroes such as Jules Vanhevel - wounded by mortar fire in the First World War and leading the world championship road race until he collided with a cow - to latter-day ironmen such as Tom Boonen, three-times winner of the Tour of Flanders and owner of a pet donkey named Kamiel.
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
London : Bloomsbury Sport, 2019.
Collation:
ix, 262 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), maps ; 25 cm.
Notes:
Includes index.
Contents:
Some notes about language -- Prologue: Brick chimneys and iron men -- 1. The final 200 kilometres -- 2. A motor for a heart -- 3. Donkeys and cannibals -- 4. A Wednesday in Hell -- 5. Holey socks and a cool head -- 6. It's a family affair -- 7. Show me the money -- 8. The bulldog and the Red Guard -- 9. The Devil and Meester Maertens -- 10. D'ye ken Tom Boonen! -- 11. Pot bellies and Barbra Streisand -- 12. Staying small.
ISBN:
9781472945044
Dewey class:
796.6094931
Language:
English
Added title:
BRN:
353646
More Information:
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton Library | Adult Non Fiction - Leisure | 796.6094931 PEA | Available |