The Rider

I got this book off the internet after seeing a line about it being "the best book written about sport ever." High praise but I must say, it is up there and I get the gist more because I have ridden a bike and done a few races.  Those who have not ridden a bike may try to after this read or not. A quote from the first page, "I have seen those cafe dwellers as I ride along who have never ridden and their empty lives shocks me."  It took  20 plus years to get translated into English but you can see what he is describing 50 yar ago in todays races. This is a no holds barred insight into what happens during a race, mind games, torment, pain, exhileration, accidents and weather.  Krabbé started racing in his late 20's therefore was always dealing with the young guns and the stalwarts.  The race incidents are illustrated with disturbing factual accounts, as when a race rider looked back as a car was coming.  Like in 1971 when the current Belgian World Champ Jean-Pierre Monseré, wearing the rainbow stripes, looked backwards to gauge his lead as a car drove onto the course killing him.  Krabbé went from Chess master to bike rider to writer and back to chess again and then rode 80km on his 80th birthday just for fun.