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Rating: 
Summary: Lives of the cycling saints
Review: Yes, this book has amazing photographs, which alone are worth the price. But the text is also entrancing: it is one of the great collections known so well in the Roman Catholic
tradition as 'lives of the saints'.
The saints in this case are the legends of the Tour, especially those
legends from countries steeped in the culture of the Tour, France, Italy,
Spain and Belgium. In one case, Gino Bartali, it is suggested that he might
indeed be a saint. The ultimate indicator of sainthood is perhaps the statement
that 'he inspired only the best thoughts amongst the top journalists of
the time'!
But the English speaking world may be disappointed that none of their
heroes have been honoured. While only two English speakers, Greg LeMond
(USA) and Stephen Roche (Ireland) have ever won the race, many others have
tried and failed gallantly.
But the culture of the bicycle is inherently Continental. Anglophones
can comprehend a little of this from Brunel's purple prose, translated
with all the reverence due to a great religious spectacle.
Rating:
Summary: Lives of the cycling saints
Review: Yes, this book has amazing photographs, which alone are worth the price. But the text is also entrancing: it is one of the great collections known so well in the Roman Catholictradition as 'lives of the saints'. The saints in this case are the legends of the Tour, especially those legends from countries steeped in the culture of the Tour, France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. In one case, Gino Bartali, it is suggested that he might indeed be a saint. The ultimate indicator of sainthood is perhaps the statement that 'he inspired only the best thoughts amongst the top journalists of the time'! But the English speaking world may be disappointed that none of their heroes have been honoured. While only two English speakers, Greg LeMond (USA) and Stephen Roche (Ireland) have ever won the race, many others have tried and failed gallantly. But the culture of the bicycle is inherently Continental. Anglophones can comprehend a little of this from Brunel's purple prose, translated with all the reverence due to a great religious spectacle.
Rating:
Summary: The Title says it all: Masters and Slaves in all their glory
Review: Terrific pictorial study of an event that is more than just a sporting spectacle. Some of the text hasn't translated to English so well, but that is only a minor grumble. Rare to find anything in English about the lives and traditions of yesteryears road heroes.
Rating: 
Summary: A must for any cycling fan!
Review: This book is by far the best pictorial I have seen for the
sport of cycling. It covers the early men of le Tour as
well as more recent stars, and it can be amusing to see what
was considered to be good back then (such as smoking cigarettes to "open up the lungs") and compare it with today's standards. In short, the photos are amazing, and it can give even a newcomer a feel for the greatest cycling event in the world.
Rating:
Summary: A must for any cycling fan!
Review: This book is by far the best pictorial I have seen for thesport of cycling. It covers the early men of le Tour aswell as more recent stars, and it can be amusing to see what was considered to be good back then (such as smoking cigarettes to "open up the lungs") and compare it with today's standards. In short, the photos are amazing, and it can give even a newcomer a feel for the greatest cycling event in the world.
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