Rate this book

Half Man, Half Bike: The Life Of Eddy Merckx, Cycling's Greatest Champion (2013)

by William Fotheringham(Favorite Author)

3.72 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Chicago Review Press

review 1: Great book if you enjoy the golden age of cycling or want to know more about Eddy Merckx's career, although I think many others would enjoy this book, too.Eddy Merckx raced before my time but I have always heard stories about the legendary "Cannibal" and wanted to know more. Fotheringham traces the rise of the Belgian athlete who completely dominated his sport the way no cyclist will again. Merckx didn't just win the big races; he competed in and won almost every cycling race or competition known to man, including the grand tours, the one-day classics, and breaking the hour record. The major highlights of his career are described in detail, but Fotheringham doesn't get bogged down in meaningless details that could bore non-cyclists.Merckx's career was fueled, and probab... morely cut short, by his incredible competitive desire. It wasn't enough for him to win; he wanted to destroy his opponents. Even in races where he enjoyed a comfortable lead and could afford to let off a bit the way most competitors would, he would continue to push himself to his physical limits.The source of this competitive drive, however, is never quite clear. Despite details about his upbringing and interviews with Merckx and people who knew him, I don't feel like I ever got to know Merckx and what makes him tick. His life off the bicycle seems fairly normal and not all that interesting, but overall this was a good read.
review 2: Good account of Merckx' career, sprinkled with some fascinating stories about the man and the races he entered. He was one of the most incredible athletes of all time. Up there with Ali, Laver, Joe Louis, Bill Tilden, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt. A demanding captain, but not less so with himself: One of his "domestiques" told how Merckx demanded a lot for them to help him, but would smile and acknowledge their hard effort after they one by one had given their all in front of the peloton, and had to slip back. And then, when all of them were spent, Merckx himself would go up in front of a peloton and do the hardest pass of all, "to the point when we were all embarrassed", as one of his team mates put it. Merckx wasn't "just" a Tour de France-man, who were at his best only three weeks every year. He wanted to win every race he entered, and did so often. He won both the Giro and the Tour de France in same years, which almost nobody does today. All year long he was the best. Classics, tours, kermis-races and even track races. He did everything. And he did so at a time where the specialists were well established, with climbers, time trial specialists, sprinters, three week-tour guys - he beat them all. He held the one hour world record. There will never be anyone as good as him. He was the greatest cyclist ever, and one of the best athletes of all time. less

Download links for: Half Man, Half Bike: The Life of Eddy Merckx, Cycling's Greatest Champion

Advertising