A Significant Other : Riding the Centenary Tour de France with Lance Armstrong

Rating:
Summary: Half as good as it could have been
Review: I bought this book because I thought I'd learn more about the job of the domestiques in general, and about Victor Hugo Pena specifically. And I really enjoyed the half of the book that was about Victor Hugo Pena. Those portions of the book are well written and engaging. But I was bored by the other half of the book that was more philosophical and historical. There are plenty of books about the history of the Tour de France and I would have bought one of those if I had wanted to read about the Tour. I wish the book had only been about domestiques and Victor Hugo Pena. The book is still worth a read, but it could have been so much better.

Rating:
Summary: Well worth a read
Review: This is a curious book, cutting between Pena'a narrative of an individual stage, which is great if you're a racing cyclist (I am) or an enthusiastic fan, and Matt Randall's history and philosophy of bike racing. Matt could be accused of overly philosophising, especially when he's trying to use professional cycling as a metaphor for the sins of globalisation, which is a bit of a stretch. I enjoyed the read, the book misses out on a top rating because of Matt's final chapter. It's a bike race, fortunatly Pena provides the narrative to carry the politics!