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French Revolutions, Tim Moore (2001)
Yellow Jersey Press 0-224-06095-3 Paperback 277 pp £12
A humerous account of the author's attempt to cycle the route
of the Tour despite his lack of experience on a bicycle

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This is a good if obvious idea for a travel book. Follow
the route of the Tour de France, in this case the tour of 2000, at a touring
speed. As a non-cyclist, this gives Moore a framework around which to
hang a travelogue, meditation on cycle racing and a chance to marvel at
those who complete the route at a rather less leisurely pace than the
author achieves.
Moore is undoubtedly an amusing writer. Here he is teeing up his assault
on Ventoux.
The trouble with cycling up mountains is that panniers
or, as today, no panniers after about four minutes, as soon as
that first metallic-tasting, lactic gasp rasps inward at the back of your
throat, any thoughts of appreciating your surroundings, contemplating
the Continental way of life, or otherwise entertaining an appropriate
holiday mentality have been booted out of your brain by an all-encompassing
him-or-you struggle to the death with the force of gravity.
Were someone who knew nothing about cycling looking for a light-hearted
introduction to the Tour, this book would serve well.
To anyone who starts the book with a deeper knowledge of cycling and
cycle sport than Moore, however, it is impossible to shake a feeling of
irritation with him. He is an able writer, for sure, although the efforts
of his wise-cracking show. He has read up on the great race, and can rehash
many of its curious tales with some élan. But at the end of the
day, he has little that is actually new to add. You cant help feeling
that he alighted upon the idea of a Tour-based book as a commercial opportunity,
rather than anything fired by passion. As a result, he steadily creates
a feeling that, at heart, he is mocking cyclists and cycling for the amusement
of others.
PS August 2008
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