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Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape: The Remarkable Life of Jacques Anquetil, the First Five-Times Winner of the Tour de France
Jacques Anquetil remains one of the most outstanding figures in the history of cycling. He was the first man to the win the Tour de France five times; the first to win all three grand tours (the Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and Giro d’Italia); and the first to win both the Tour and Vuelta in the same year. The fame Anquetil received for his cycling success was matched only by the infamy of his complex and unconventional private life. As this engaging biography reveals, between his races Anquetil seduced his doctor’s wife and acted as stepfather to her children before asking his stepdaughter to bear him a child. He maintained a ménage à trios with his wife and stepdaughter for several years until the threesome fell apart, after which—in a bid to inspire jealousy in his two former lovers and encourage their return—he seduced his stepson’s ex-wife and had a child with her. Containing exclusive contributions from Anquetil’s family, friends, teammates, and rivals, this engaging biography unveils the astounding public and private lives of one of cycling’s greatest legends.
317 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2008
34 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
About the author
Paul Howard
36 books80 followersPaul Howard is a journalist with The Irish Times on Saturday.
Howard is best known as the author of the paper's Ross O'Carroll-Kelly columns and has written a series of books based on the the character of Ross.
Howard is the former chief sportswriter for the Sunday Tribune, and a former Irish Sports Journalist of the Year. He has written several nonfiction books, including The Joy, an account of life in Mountjoy Prison, The Gaffers: Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and the Team they Built, an account of the McCarthy–Keane clash during the run-up to the 2002 World Cup. He also co-authored Steve Collins' "autobiography", Celtic Warrior.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Howard is best known as the author of the paper's Ross O'Carroll-Kelly columns and has written a series of books based on the the character of Ross.
Howard is the former chief sportswriter for the Sunday Tribune, and a former Irish Sports Journalist of the Year. He has written several nonfiction books, including The Joy, an account of life in Mountjoy Prison, The Gaffers: Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and the Team they Built, an account of the McCarthy–Keane clash during the run-up to the 2002 World Cup. He also co-authored Steve Collins' "autobiography", Celtic Warrior.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 7, 2021
Not great, but a solid insight into the life and career of one of cycling's most intriguing characters. Jacques Anquetil was interesting both on the road and in his private life, summarized pretty well by the author.
March 10, 2025
Sunnuntaifillaristina tykkään lukea kilpapyöräilyä käsitteleviä kirjoja ja olen erityisen kiinnostunut lajin kultaisesta menneisyydestä ennen kaiken maailman valheidenketjuja. Niinpä lukulistalleni tarttui myös Paul Howardin "Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape", jonka nimi viittaa enemmän tai vähemmän nokkelasti Steven Soderberghin elokuvaan.
Kyseessä on elämäkerta ranskalaisesta Jacques Anquetilista, joka menestyksekkäällä kilpaurallaan voitti mm. viisi kertaa Tour de Francen ja oli ensimmäinen jonka palmarèsiin voidaan laskea kaikkien kolmen suuren ympäriajon ykkössijat.
Anquetil ehti pitkällä urallaan kilpailla monia lajilegendoja vastaan, aina Louison Bobetista Eddy Merckxiin asti, mutta ehdottomasti kovin kovin kilpakumppani oli maanmies Raymond Poulidor. Howard kuvailee kaksikon välisiä yhteenottoja, jotka jakoivat myös ranskalaista urheiluyleisöä. Vaikka miesten välit olivat aikanaan varsin kitkerät, tuli heistä myöhemmin ystäviä.
Jos olet ikinä kuvitellut, että oma ihmissuhde-elämäsi olisi monimutkaista, niin Anquetilin yksityiselämä se vasta vetikin vertoja mille tahansa saippuaoopperalle. Mentyään naimisiin lääkärinsä vaimon kanssa, hän teki lapsen vaimonsa ensimmäisestä avioliitosta saaman tyttären kanssa ja päätyi lopulta kimppaan ottopoikansa vaimon kanssa.
Kummallisen kolmio- tai neliödraaman osapuolet pääsevät kirjassa kertomaan omia näkemyksiään aiheesta. Kukaan ei vaikuta varsinaisesti muistelevan mennyttä pahalla. Vuonna 1987 Anquetil menehtyi syöpään.
Ei tämä ollut mitenkään epätavallisen huono pyöräilyelämäkerta, mutta koska odotukset olivat korkeammalla, jätän tähdet tällä kertaa kahteen.
Kyseessä on elämäkerta ranskalaisesta Jacques Anquetilista, joka menestyksekkäällä kilpaurallaan voitti mm. viisi kertaa Tour de Francen ja oli ensimmäinen jonka palmarèsiin voidaan laskea kaikkien kolmen suuren ympäriajon ykkössijat.
Anquetil ehti pitkällä urallaan kilpailla monia lajilegendoja vastaan, aina Louison Bobetista Eddy Merckxiin asti, mutta ehdottomasti kovin kovin kilpakumppani oli maanmies Raymond Poulidor. Howard kuvailee kaksikon välisiä yhteenottoja, jotka jakoivat myös ranskalaista urheiluyleisöä. Vaikka miesten välit olivat aikanaan varsin kitkerät, tuli heistä myöhemmin ystäviä.
Jos olet ikinä kuvitellut, että oma ihmissuhde-elämäsi olisi monimutkaista, niin Anquetilin yksityiselämä se vasta vetikin vertoja mille tahansa saippuaoopperalle. Mentyään naimisiin lääkärinsä vaimon kanssa, hän teki lapsen vaimonsa ensimmäisestä avioliitosta saaman tyttären kanssa ja päätyi lopulta kimppaan ottopoikansa vaimon kanssa.
Kummallisen kolmio- tai neliödraaman osapuolet pääsevät kirjassa kertomaan omia näkemyksiään aiheesta. Kukaan ei vaikuta varsinaisesti muistelevan mennyttä pahalla. Vuonna 1987 Anquetil menehtyi syöpään.
Ei tämä ollut mitenkään epätavallisen huono pyöräilyelämäkerta, mutta koska odotukset olivat korkeammalla, jätän tähdet tällä kertaa kahteen.
April 15, 2013
Jacques Anquetil became a legend when he became the first rider to win the Tour de France five times. In doing so, he set a benchmark that was (to him) rather meaningless, just left it behind him as something for other cyclists to strive for. He could probably have won it six times, or even seven (as Lance Armstrong did, for a few years, anyhow). This book talks about the man and his considerable achievements on the bike, and the life he lived off it.
He was a paradox: he pushed himself hard, but regarded conventional attitudes to training and rest as a bore. He thought nothing of staying up all night boozing, eating and smoking before taking part in important races - and in fact his contrary character appreciated the challenge of such behaviour. He was generous to his rivals - sometimes - and the book goes into his greatest rivalries, those with Roger Riviere, who ceased to be a contender after a few years of competing when he broke his back in a race, and the most famous one of all, with Raymond Poulidor, who could never match Anquetil's achievements, but who nevertheless remained more popular with French cycling fans as a perpetual underdog and, also, as a perpetual 'gentleman', never rising to Anquetil's bait, and watching his fate in an almost detached manner.
There is a lot of testimony from those, like Poulidor, who were there; team mates, managers, rivals, Anquetil's current and ex-wives, and much from his daughter Sophie, who can be said to be right at the centre of the story.
The book is well written, and well paced. My only gripe with it is the rather lazy title. It's obviously a pun on the film Sex, Lies and Videotape - but who remembers that these days? And would it be familiar to cycling fans? The handlebar tape bit is obvious, if irrelevant, and so, I suppose is the sex. I don't know what relevance the lies of the title have to Anquetil's story: he was, if anything, painfully honest about all aspects of his life. He casually came clean about doping, and about buying races, for example, reasoning that everybody did it, so why try to hide it? It was naive of him, and drew a lot of criticism, but his relationship with French cycling fans was always a rocky one, and his honesty was a way, I think, of not being bullied by them, not being something they wanted him to be or wished he was.
Anquetil had a complicated home life, which is where the sex of the title comes in, though he wasn't licentious or promiscuous; on the contrary, he was very much a family man, but on a model that most people would dismiss as amoral at best but more likely as extremely immoral. Basically, as his wife Jeanine (who had left her husband, a family friend, for Anquetil) was older than him by 7 years, and could no longer have children, she acceded to his wish to fulfil himself as a man and have a child by suggesting a surrogate mother; that turned out to be her daughter by her first marriage, and the relationship didn't stop at this surrogacy, but continued happily as a menage a trois for 12 years. Then Anquetil struck up a relationship with the wife of his wife's son. Messy, though the whole bunch of this not so much extended but imploded family seemed to carry on much as before, and are now, twenty five years on from Anquetil's death, all best of pals. Paul Howard examines these relationships with some sensitivity, and adopts a line of critical enquiry, with obvious comparisons to Woody Allen and his marriage to his step daughter - just because everybody involved is consenting, and even when it's not strictly illegal, it doesn't mean that it's a thing that the oldest or most responsible party should countenance.
As ever when I review cycling books, I try to gauge whether they'd ever be of interest to readers who are not, like me, fans of pro cycling. This book IS mostly about Anquetil's career as a pro cycling legend - and is great on the detail of the races, rivalries, setbacks and plaudits - so despite the examination of Anquetil's private life, I think it's one mainly for fans.
He was a paradox: he pushed himself hard, but regarded conventional attitudes to training and rest as a bore. He thought nothing of staying up all night boozing, eating and smoking before taking part in important races - and in fact his contrary character appreciated the challenge of such behaviour. He was generous to his rivals - sometimes - and the book goes into his greatest rivalries, those with Roger Riviere, who ceased to be a contender after a few years of competing when he broke his back in a race, and the most famous one of all, with Raymond Poulidor, who could never match Anquetil's achievements, but who nevertheless remained more popular with French cycling fans as a perpetual underdog and, also, as a perpetual 'gentleman', never rising to Anquetil's bait, and watching his fate in an almost detached manner.
There is a lot of testimony from those, like Poulidor, who were there; team mates, managers, rivals, Anquetil's current and ex-wives, and much from his daughter Sophie, who can be said to be right at the centre of the story.
The book is well written, and well paced. My only gripe with it is the rather lazy title. It's obviously a pun on the film Sex, Lies and Videotape - but who remembers that these days? And would it be familiar to cycling fans? The handlebar tape bit is obvious, if irrelevant, and so, I suppose is the sex. I don't know what relevance the lies of the title have to Anquetil's story: he was, if anything, painfully honest about all aspects of his life. He casually came clean about doping, and about buying races, for example, reasoning that everybody did it, so why try to hide it? It was naive of him, and drew a lot of criticism, but his relationship with French cycling fans was always a rocky one, and his honesty was a way, I think, of not being bullied by them, not being something they wanted him to be or wished he was.
Anquetil had a complicated home life, which is where the sex of the title comes in, though he wasn't licentious or promiscuous; on the contrary, he was very much a family man, but on a model that most people would dismiss as amoral at best but more likely as extremely immoral. Basically, as his wife Jeanine (who had left her husband, a family friend, for Anquetil) was older than him by 7 years, and could no longer have children, she acceded to his wish to fulfil himself as a man and have a child by suggesting a surrogate mother; that turned out to be her daughter by her first marriage, and the relationship didn't stop at this surrogacy, but continued happily as a menage a trois for 12 years. Then Anquetil struck up a relationship with the wife of his wife's son. Messy, though the whole bunch of this not so much extended but imploded family seemed to carry on much as before, and are now, twenty five years on from Anquetil's death, all best of pals. Paul Howard examines these relationships with some sensitivity, and adopts a line of critical enquiry, with obvious comparisons to Woody Allen and his marriage to his step daughter - just because everybody involved is consenting, and even when it's not strictly illegal, it doesn't mean that it's a thing that the oldest or most responsible party should countenance.
As ever when I review cycling books, I try to gauge whether they'd ever be of interest to readers who are not, like me, fans of pro cycling. This book IS mostly about Anquetil's career as a pro cycling legend - and is great on the detail of the races, rivalries, setbacks and plaudits - so despite the examination of Anquetil's private life, I think it's one mainly for fans.
March 3, 2018
Before reading this book, I had little knowledge of Jacques Anquetil. I knew he was one of the greats of cycling, and I thought of him as a special hero within French cycling.
Setting aside his personal life for the moment, let’s not forget how great a cyclist Anquetil really was. He was the first of the five time Tour de France winners, and he could arguably have won more. He won the Giro d’Italia twice and the Vuelta a Espana once. He once owned the hour record, won one of the classic “Monuments” races, and on and on.
I hadn’t known about his unorthodox attitudes toward training. He trained intensively for only short periods of time. He seemed inattentive to needs for rest or a healthy diet, maybe even flaunting disdain for such things. He seemed actually to thrive on doing all the wrong things to his body — drinking, eating rich foods, cutting his sleep short even in preparation for and during stage races. That he still won was either a testament to his overwhelming natural ability, his insuperable will to win, or maybe just a real finger in the eye of accepted wisdom.
The book details his rivalries — there were more than just his most famous duels with Raymond Poulidor. Louison Bobet was there at the beginning of Anquetil’s career, and even Eddy Merckx at the end. Along the way, there were Charly Gaul, Arnaldo Pambianco, Rudi Altig, and many more. The stories of these rivalries and the play of Anquetil’s ego within them, sometimes very fragile and sometimes impregnable, are the focus of Howard’s account of Anquetil’s racing career.
Then there’s the personal life. Howard threads Anquetil’s personal life through his racing career, but he only focuses on the downright bizarre toward the end of the book. He doesn’t pull back or offer excuses for the strange turns of Anquetil’s love life — his long relationship with and marriage to Jeanine (who had been his doctor’s wife when the relationship first began), his relationship with his daughter-in-law Annie, his fathering of a daughter, Sophie, with Annie, and, just to top the whole thing off, his relationship with his stepson’s wife, Dominique.
Howard sticks to reporting. He doesn’t try to explain or excuse, beyond what’s offered by some of Anquetil’s friends and family. The facts paint a pretty bizarre picture.
I’ve read biographies in recent years of flawed heroes in cycling and elsewhere — Steve Jobs, Neil Young, Lance Armstrong, Mickey Mantle. All of them were or are people with serious flaws, some more serious than others. I would never argue that we should not admire their greatness, but their greatness cannot exonerate them for their shortcomings and transgressions, either.
It’s tempting to read Howard’s book as two stories — one of a great cyclist and the other of, at best, a very strange personal life. But it’s one person and one life. That’s the realization we have to leave with. Nobody is so one dimensional as we sometimes think our heroes and villains are.
Setting aside his personal life for the moment, let’s not forget how great a cyclist Anquetil really was. He was the first of the five time Tour de France winners, and he could arguably have won more. He won the Giro d’Italia twice and the Vuelta a Espana once. He once owned the hour record, won one of the classic “Monuments” races, and on and on.
I hadn’t known about his unorthodox attitudes toward training. He trained intensively for only short periods of time. He seemed inattentive to needs for rest or a healthy diet, maybe even flaunting disdain for such things. He seemed actually to thrive on doing all the wrong things to his body — drinking, eating rich foods, cutting his sleep short even in preparation for and during stage races. That he still won was either a testament to his overwhelming natural ability, his insuperable will to win, or maybe just a real finger in the eye of accepted wisdom.
The book details his rivalries — there were more than just his most famous duels with Raymond Poulidor. Louison Bobet was there at the beginning of Anquetil’s career, and even Eddy Merckx at the end. Along the way, there were Charly Gaul, Arnaldo Pambianco, Rudi Altig, and many more. The stories of these rivalries and the play of Anquetil’s ego within them, sometimes very fragile and sometimes impregnable, are the focus of Howard’s account of Anquetil’s racing career.
Then there’s the personal life. Howard threads Anquetil’s personal life through his racing career, but he only focuses on the downright bizarre toward the end of the book. He doesn’t pull back or offer excuses for the strange turns of Anquetil’s love life — his long relationship with and marriage to Jeanine (who had been his doctor’s wife when the relationship first began), his relationship with his daughter-in-law Annie, his fathering of a daughter, Sophie, with Annie, and, just to top the whole thing off, his relationship with his stepson’s wife, Dominique.
Howard sticks to reporting. He doesn’t try to explain or excuse, beyond what’s offered by some of Anquetil’s friends and family. The facts paint a pretty bizarre picture.
I’ve read biographies in recent years of flawed heroes in cycling and elsewhere — Steve Jobs, Neil Young, Lance Armstrong, Mickey Mantle. All of them were or are people with serious flaws, some more serious than others. I would never argue that we should not admire their greatness, but their greatness cannot exonerate them for their shortcomings and transgressions, either.
It’s tempting to read Howard’s book as two stories — one of a great cyclist and the other of, at best, a very strange personal life. But it’s one person and one life. That’s the realization we have to leave with. Nobody is so one dimensional as we sometimes think our heroes and villains are.
July 1, 2016
Brisk, abbreviated and somewhat misleading biographer of professional cyclist and curmudgeon, Jacques Anquetil, the first TdF 'Fiver'. Misleading in the sense that only 2 chapters - about an 8th of the book - explore his highly unconventional private life. (In sum: he nicked his first wife from his doctor, bore a child with her daughter - his stepdaughter - because his wife had sterilised herself before they met, then formed a relationship with his stepson's ex-partner. Which is to say, his wife's son and babymother's brother. Whether his stepson and his partner were exes at the start of Anquetil's intervention is open to question.)
In a sense, the book is better for this, because Anquetil's private life has little to do in itself with the reason that he is so famous - as an uncompromising, unclubbable, and single-minded cyclist, on e who hated the actual act of cycling, as it happens.
What may have helped would have been informed speculation on how the single-minded obduracy with which he conducted his private affairs might have been seen as manifestation of his attitude to cycling. (Anquetil, notoriously, refused to romanticise the sport, indeed avoided doing any more work than he absolutely needed to in order to win - partly because he hated the bike, partly because he figured that over domination would affect his commercial interests.
Likewise, a bit more context about the social circumstances of the era might have given the reader a clearer sense of Anquetil, his place in the French canon, his rivalry with 'Pou-pou' Poulidor (which divided a nation) and the loyalty he inspired in colleagues, despite his many character flaws. But readable, even for these lacks.
In a sense, the book is better for this, because Anquetil's private life has little to do in itself with the reason that he is so famous - as an uncompromising, unclubbable, and single-minded cyclist, on e who hated the actual act of cycling, as it happens.
What may have helped would have been informed speculation on how the single-minded obduracy with which he conducted his private affairs might have been seen as manifestation of his attitude to cycling. (Anquetil, notoriously, refused to romanticise the sport, indeed avoided doing any more work than he absolutely needed to in order to win - partly because he hated the bike, partly because he figured that over domination would affect his commercial interests.
Likewise, a bit more context about the social circumstances of the era might have given the reader a clearer sense of Anquetil, his place in the French canon, his rivalry with 'Pou-pou' Poulidor (which divided a nation) and the loyalty he inspired in colleagues, despite his many character flaws. But readable, even for these lacks.
January 21, 2012
I'm not sure how a story about one of the greatest cyclists of all time, with one of the most scandal filled personal lives, could come across as boring but credit to Paul Howard for making it so dull.
May 17, 2022
I didn't know anything about Jacques Anquetil before I read this book but now, thanks to the deft writing in this book (the author's a journalist and, unsurprisingly I guess, they always seem to write so well) I feel I know his story well. Anquetil seems to have been something of an enigma, an enormously successful cyclist who not only won races but won them in a calculated almost robotic fashion that did not endear him to his fans. This was then coupled with a flagrant disregard for sports nutrition, fine foods, wine, spirits and lack of sleep. I often look to these sort of books for some clue as to how such athletes reached their esteemed position and, as always seems to be the case, Anquetil was simply naturally talented - no lessons to be learnt for a hopeless amatuer like me. Anyway, his cycling was only half the story, the other half was his extraordinary private life and which was comprehensively but sensitively dealt with by the author, who had spoken many of the participants. It is interesting to note that in France his frankly odd domestic arrangements were not met with a Daily Mail sense of shoch and horror but by a Gallic shrug of acceptance that says a lot about the edifference between our two countries. All in all, a well researched and written story of an extraordinary man - that could have done with a few more photos.
January 22, 2024
Anquetil certainly was a fascinating character and a wild man and you do get some insight into that, thanks to numerous bits from family and teammates - even if, of course, those memories sometimes contradict each other.
Wasn't a huge fan of the prose here though, at points a bit too much and made it a slower read than expected.
Ten points for the title.
Wasn't a huge fan of the prose here though, at points a bit too much and made it a slower read than expected.
Ten points for the title.
August 25, 2025
Jacque Anquetil’s life story is quite colorful and remarkable. However, the biography was hard to get through due to the writing.
April 2, 2022
This is an excellent biography of one of the best profession cyclists of the 1950s through the 1960s, an era of greats. Five time Tour de France winner, back to back wins in the Dauphiné Libéré and Bordeaux–Paris, and numerous other races.
Admired by the likes of Eddie Merckx and Bernard Bernard Hinault, Anquetil had a difficult relationship with the French public who never quite liked him as much as his nemesis Raymond Poulidor, "the eternal second." However, his wins at Dauphiné Libéré and Bordeaux–Paris made him a hero in the eyes of the public. He was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite in 1965 (cross of merit) and Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur on 5 October 1966.
His personal life was . . . tumultuous, at best. He lived the high life during his cycling career only to retire to a farming estate, in part to get away from the public life he both loved and hated. He started an affair with his doctor's wife, Jeanine, than ended in her divorce followed by marriage to Anquetil. Her two children from her first marriage followed in time.
After retirement, Anquetil's desire for a child of his own - thwarted by Jeanine's sterility - resulted in his fathering a child with his step-daughter. His step-son and his wife also moved into the Anquetil household with disastrous results. He and Jeanine divorced, his step-daughter and their child moved out, and he eventually set up household with his step-son's wife following her divorce. Messy, to be sure.
Anquetil died in 1987, a hero of the French republic.
If you like the history of professional cycling, particularly the mid-20th century, you will want to read this book.
Admired by the likes of Eddie Merckx and Bernard Bernard Hinault, Anquetil had a difficult relationship with the French public who never quite liked him as much as his nemesis Raymond Poulidor, "the eternal second." However, his wins at Dauphiné Libéré and Bordeaux–Paris made him a hero in the eyes of the public. He was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite in 1965 (cross of merit) and Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur on 5 October 1966.
His personal life was . . . tumultuous, at best. He lived the high life during his cycling career only to retire to a farming estate, in part to get away from the public life he both loved and hated. He started an affair with his doctor's wife, Jeanine, than ended in her divorce followed by marriage to Anquetil. Her two children from her first marriage followed in time.
After retirement, Anquetil's desire for a child of his own - thwarted by Jeanine's sterility - resulted in his fathering a child with his step-daughter. His step-son and his wife also moved into the Anquetil household with disastrous results. He and Jeanine divorced, his step-daughter and their child moved out, and he eventually set up household with his step-son's wife following her divorce. Messy, to be sure.
Anquetil died in 1987, a hero of the French republic.
If you like the history of professional cycling, particularly the mid-20th century, you will want to read this book.
April 6, 2013
I so enjoyed this book, but I'm a rider and valued he history of the sport. Anquetil was an intriguing and unique character, not a model in many ways, but certainly interesting! Howard's treatment appears blanched, yet sympathetic. I think in the end Anquetil's physical and cycling achievements warrant the read and cover a multitude of sins; a very interesting read for fans and participants of the sport of cycling!
February 12, 2013
Fascinating subject, written eloquently. Who lives like this?! The story is outlandish, but apparently accurate. It appears to be well-researched. Accounts of racing were fun. While I respect the skill of the author, I found his style to present a rather laborious read. Like a flavourfull, if relatively tough steak. A pleasure to the taste, but difficult to digest.
June 28, 2012
A great book about one of the first "patrons" of the peloton from the golden age of cycling. This book is a must for Francophiles who are cycling fans. Anquetil was a true Gourmand who had the ability to convert cholesterol into the energy to win.
November 10, 2017
Howard pulls off a remarkable feat in this book—he makes boring the life a five-time Tour de France winner who had an affair with his doctor's wife, married her, had a child by (and an affair for twelve years with) her daughter, and finally broke up his marriage by having an affair with his step-son’s ex-wife who he ultimately married. While the book is full of interesting facts and controversial topics, it fails to be compelling. The reason may be that the author does not do much in the way of finding trends among the facts or of trying to reconcile competing viewpoints of the people he spoke with. Despite the flaws, I would recommend this book to anyone curious about a very different era in cycling, the 1960s.
December 13, 2023
The book deserves 5 stars: it's written magnificently and it was hard to put it down. The roots, life and trajectory of Jacques Anquetil, his public side as well as his private ones, are comprehensively and meticulously covered with convincing facts and point of views. I am a big fan of cycling vintage photos, so it'd have been nice to get way more photos of Jacques and his life.
My missing star (could indeed be more) go to the following:
1. Protest against the anti-feminist cover photo and title;
2: (Especially) My moral condemnation for Jacques Anquetil's post-retirement life. I knew nothing about it before opening the book, and it'd have been great if the book could have ended 3 chapters earlier.
But clearly I do not blame the above on the author. Great biography otherwise.
My missing star (could indeed be more) go to the following:
1. Protest against the anti-feminist cover photo and title;
2: (Especially) My moral condemnation for Jacques Anquetil's post-retirement life. I knew nothing about it before opening the book, and it'd have been great if the book could have ended 3 chapters earlier.
But clearly I do not blame the above on the author. Great biography otherwise.
June 21, 2023
Interesting book about the first five time tour de France winner who in many ways seems to have been forgotten a little as the likes of mercxx, hinault ,indurain and the likes have appeared since.
Jacques was however the first and he won it in a way modern riders seem to..unlike mercxx who seemed to seek victory everywhere..anquetil seemed to concentrate on the tour and win through time trialing generally.
He did have impressive wins elsewhere mind you and also took the tours of Italy and Spain too.
Post cycling his life was mired in scandal but this is only a small part of this book and in terms of scandal....well there has been bigger.
Jacques was however the first and he won it in a way modern riders seem to..unlike mercxx who seemed to seek victory everywhere..anquetil seemed to concentrate on the tour and win through time trialing generally.
He did have impressive wins elsewhere mind you and also took the tours of Italy and Spain too.
Post cycling his life was mired in scandal but this is only a small part of this book and in terms of scandal....well there has been bigger.
June 20, 2022
Controversy around his personal life could actually usurp his accomplishments on the road and that is saying something considering he is first 5 time winner of the Tour de France, winner of all three grand Tours and winner of 8 total grand Tours.
Learned quite a but about teams were formed for the TdF in those days and it definitely played a part in Jaques missing the Tour several years in his prime.
Never knew that Anquetil held on long enough to actually compete against Eddy Merckx...a satisfying and direct passing of the torch.
Learned quite a but about teams were formed for the TdF in those days and it definitely played a part in Jaques missing the Tour several years in his prime.
Never knew that Anquetil held on long enough to actually compete against Eddy Merckx...a satisfying and direct passing of the torch.
April 25, 2021
As someone who watches le Tour religiously every year, I was surprised to read about such an accomplished cyclist that hardly garners any mention during the annual coverage. Coppi, Merckx and Hinault seem to be mentioned every stage. Perhaps it was his unorthodox and sometimes hard to comprehend life off the bike that make cycling media shy away...? Regardless, a fascinating character and worthy chapter in cycling history.
September 17, 2023
Beautifully written book. It could easily be judgemental about the man - but rather holds a brilliant line holding to facts available and representing the different views that are available.Aquarium was a truly amazing cyclist and you gain real insight and understanding into the suffering he went through as well as the context of cycling at that time.
May 3, 2019
Disappointingly, I found the book inconsistent in its general readability.
Some chapters jumped all over the place chronologically and in general, making it difficult to read/follow. Others, were well put together and flowed well.
Some chapters jumped all over the place chronologically and in general, making it difficult to read/follow. Others, were well put together and flowed well.
December 30, 2023
QI but you really need to be a spectator cycling fan. The endless catalogue of wins is impressive but tiresome. His unconventional family life is very odd but powerful, successful men can exert a telling influence on women.
March 10, 2018
Average biography of an incredible man. Worth reading to learn about Anquetil but you’ll need to show the determination of a TdF rider to get through some of the more turgid sections.
March 7, 2022
Slow enough going and tedious in places
April 19, 2025
so interesting and nowhere near as outrageous as the title suggested
September 12, 2016
3.5 Stars: A well-written biography of a flawed hero
3.5 Stars. Not usually my kind of read, but I found myself drawn in to learn about the mettle & quirks that make up such a man. I would recommend this especially for cyclists or those interested in the history of cycling in Europe. There is less than I'd hoped about Anquetil's personal life and what led him to be the kind of man he was. However, I found the racing segments of his life (probably ~3/4 of the book) to be quite fascinating with exciting descriptions of the events as well as the politics of the sport at the time. This is essentially a compilation of all the material that has previously been written about Anquetil and the many races in which he participated with some material from more recent interviews included. The author does a good job of keeping his opinion out of the material by letting the quotes of others who knew Anquetil personally paint a more complete portrait. I left with a somewhat glorified view of him in spite of all his flaws. I would have liked more insight into what created those traits. And though the writing was generally very good, there were times I found myself wondering what he was talking about or from where a particular topic originated. I think the author felt that more would be understood by the reader than I found it to be (perhaps because he's British and targeting a European cycling-centered audience?). I also would have liked the book better if he'd included more women's perspectives about Anquetil's behavior, such as interviews with other cyclist's or friends' wives, rather than hearing only from the female members of Anquetil's unique family. In that way it felt like a book written mostly for men.
3.5 Stars. Not usually my kind of read, but I found myself drawn in to learn about the mettle & quirks that make up such a man. I would recommend this especially for cyclists or those interested in the history of cycling in Europe. There is less than I'd hoped about Anquetil's personal life and what led him to be the kind of man he was. However, I found the racing segments of his life (probably ~3/4 of the book) to be quite fascinating with exciting descriptions of the events as well as the politics of the sport at the time. This is essentially a compilation of all the material that has previously been written about Anquetil and the many races in which he participated with some material from more recent interviews included. The author does a good job of keeping his opinion out of the material by letting the quotes of others who knew Anquetil personally paint a more complete portrait. I left with a somewhat glorified view of him in spite of all his flaws. I would have liked more insight into what created those traits. And though the writing was generally very good, there were times I found myself wondering what he was talking about or from where a particular topic originated. I think the author felt that more would be understood by the reader than I found it to be (perhaps because he's British and targeting a European cycling-centered audience?). I also would have liked the book better if he'd included more women's perspectives about Anquetil's behavior, such as interviews with other cyclist's or friends' wives, rather than hearing only from the female members of Anquetil's unique family. In that way it felt like a book written mostly for men.
January 17, 2012
This was more of a biography about the cyclist and what he accomplished than it was a story about the races and competition in the races. I like cycling stories that talk about the strategy within a race and how the racer felt as he was climbing the mountain or struggling to catch the group. Anquetil may have had a kind of messed up faimly life but it wasn't that fascinating.
April 28, 2015
Good read. I had no idea Anquetil lead such a sordid life. I would ideally not like to pass judgement but his 12 year affair with his hi step daughter condoned by his wife whom he left to marry his stepson's wife... The author does a nice job of mixing cycling (my interest) with the life choices of Anquetil. The writing got dry at times and I found my self hoping it would wrap up. 3.5 stars.
January 5, 2017
Maybe it should have been titled Handlebar Tape, Lies and Sex, since it was more about racing and racing rivalries than anything else. If the author is correct, Poulidor and Anquetil became card playing buddies after Anquetil retired from racing. Who knew?
January 10, 2012
A boring book about an interesting man.
March 2, 2016
Legend of cycling. Crazy life. Writing makes it all seem very dull and descriptive. Shame.
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