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Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike (2012)

by William Fotheringham(Favorite Author)

3.74 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0224074482 (ISBN13: 9780224074483)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Yellow Jersey Press

review 1: An excellent biography of the Cannibal Eddy Merckx the greatest cyclist in history. It tells a little bit about his early childhood and how he became involved in cycling and then tells the story of his career and his desire to win all the races he entered. Dominating the sprints, classics and grand tours like no other before him it tells of his greatest victories and his rivals who realized how tough it was to defeat him.
review 2: If you told me even 2 years ago that I would ever read a sports biography and find it difficult to put down, I would have laughed in your face. But this book totally captivated me. I knew very little about Merckx before reading the book and was amazed to learn about the feats he accomplished in his cycling career, many of which hav... moree still not been surpassed and never will. 525 wins, 54 wins in one season, most stage wins in the Tour de France (34), most stage wins in a single Tour de France (8), most number of days wearing the yellow jersey (96), and so on. Not to mention the fact that he won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia in the SAME YEAR 3x (5x in each race overall) -- the man was a machine! Fotheringham paints a very sympathetic portrait of the man known as "The Cannibal" (for his insatiable drive to win), with interviews from his wife and former teammates, to demonstrate that although Merckx was an extraordinary athlete, he was also a very modest, kind and generous person. And as the photos from 1967 to 1977 demonstrate, a major hottie! :) Anyone who rides a bicycle or cares about the history of cycling will enjoy this book -- not only is the personal portrait of Merckx sensitive and illuminating, Fortheringham's descriptions of Merckx's wins (especially the 1969, 1970 & 1971 Tour de France) are completely gripping, even though we already know the outcome. Highly recommended. less

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