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Angel of the Mountains
Charly Gaul is a forgotten cycling legend. Once a household name across Europe, the diminutive Luxembourger won the 1958 Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia twice. A unique rider, Gaul was supremely gifted at climbing and resilient even in the foulest weather. His pedalling style was smooth and swift, and he could set an unmatchable metronome rhythm on a mountain climb. 'Mozart on two wheels,' was how one contemporary writer described him; another dubbed him 'The Angel of the Mountains'.
At the end of his cycling career Gaul disappeared, becoming a hermit living in a forest in Luxembourg. What drove Charly Gaul into a recluse's life? In Angel of the Mountains , Paul Maunder seeks to uncover the truth about Gaul, his psychology and the circumstances of his withdrawal from society. In rediscovering Gaul's enigmatic life, we find not only an unlikely hero but also a larger truth about the nature of sporting success.
At the end of his cycling career Gaul disappeared, becoming a hermit living in a forest in Luxembourg. What drove Charly Gaul into a recluse's life? In Angel of the Mountains , Paul Maunder seeks to uncover the truth about Gaul, his psychology and the circumstances of his withdrawal from society. In rediscovering Gaul's enigmatic life, we find not only an unlikely hero but also a larger truth about the nature of sporting success.
- GenresCycling
320 pages, Hardcover
Published June 20, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 3, 2025
A real joy to read.
September 1, 2024
Paul Maunder’s Angel of the Mountains is a well researched and written biography mainly about the racing career of Charly Gaul.
Maunder delves into the life of Gaul, offering readers a thorough portrait of one of the sport’s most fascinating figures.
The book is rich with detailed accounts of key races, including Gaul’s remarkable comeback in the 1958 Tour, where he overcame extreme weather conditions and fierce competition to secure his place in Cycling history.
The book also touches on Gaul’s post-racing life, which was marked by a retreat into relative obscurity. Maunder handles this aspect of Gaul’s life with sensitivity, exploring how the pressures of fame and the physical toll of professional cycling impacted him in his later years.
This is a book not just for die hard cycling fans, well worth a read.
Maunder delves into the life of Gaul, offering readers a thorough portrait of one of the sport’s most fascinating figures.
The book is rich with detailed accounts of key races, including Gaul’s remarkable comeback in the 1958 Tour, where he overcame extreme weather conditions and fierce competition to secure his place in Cycling history.
The book also touches on Gaul’s post-racing life, which was marked by a retreat into relative obscurity. Maunder handles this aspect of Gaul’s life with sensitivity, exploring how the pressures of fame and the physical toll of professional cycling impacted him in his later years.
This is a book not just for die hard cycling fans, well worth a read.
January 11, 2025
A fantastic text, shedding light on one of the more elusive figures in cycling history. It is a fantastic addition to the corpus cycling literature.
January 29, 2026
I thought this book was absolutely tremendous. I started it just before coming out here, but since touching down in Saudi Arabia for the AlUla Tour, I have not been able to put it down.
Paul Maunder treats Charly Gaul with such care, that myths are quickly busted and the Luxembourger’s depth is carefully revealed.
There is a real delicacy in the way he writes, that seeks to uncover the character of this great champion, without falling into the trap of conviction. Where the full truth eludes, Maunder always makes sure to remind the reader.
Effortlessly knitting together the professional and personal lives of Gaul, Maunder gives us an unprecedented portrait of one of the great cyclists to have ever lived. Beyond the usual one sentence description of Gaul as a great climber, we get to discover his rapid rise to the top, the challenges that awaited him, but perhaps most interestingly to me, his growing maturity through the years.
It did not surprise me to read that Gaul was capable of the incredible in the mountains. Nor did it surprise me to find out that these feats could be intertwined with moments of vulnerability, where the race escaped him before it had even begun. After all, we see this from champion climbers all the time. But from a sporting perspective, I found it especially interesting to learn that Gaul had both consistency and durability when at his very best. In the years of 1957-1959, he transformed from a generational talent to a man capable of consistently challenging for Grand Tour podiums. That is more than I ever knew of this ‘Angel of the Mountains.’
I thought the parallels between Gaul and Marco Pantani were very effective, and given more weight by the strength of their friendship. In Pantani, we see what could have been for Gaul. For fans of Il Pirata, perhaps we see in Gaul what might have been for Marco, had things worked out for the better.
It pleased me greatly to learn the real truth of Gaul’s ‘years of solitude.’ That not only did he come to find love and family, but also a reconnection with the sport of cycling. So often, cycling treats these athletes as though they are not human, and all too often, their wellbeing suffers.
But as Maunder rightly points out, cycling has a particular passion for nostalgia, and as such, our champions are celebrated in earnest. It makes me happy that Gaul was celebrated as such when he returned to the fold.
Above all else, I think I will take away the image of an ageing Gaul riding up Mont Ventoux from this book. There, amidst the backdrop of one of his greatest triumphs, the Angel spread his wings once more. Only, this time, he could take pride in riding alongside his daughter, and find peace in the cheers that still followed up. Ventoux is truly one of Earth’s special places, for bad and for good, and it is only right that a piece of Charly’s soul remains on that mountainside.
This was a truly enjoyable read, and one that left me with a sense of both joy and loss when I closed the final page.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Maunder treats Charly Gaul with such care, that myths are quickly busted and the Luxembourger’s depth is carefully revealed.
There is a real delicacy in the way he writes, that seeks to uncover the character of this great champion, without falling into the trap of conviction. Where the full truth eludes, Maunder always makes sure to remind the reader.
Effortlessly knitting together the professional and personal lives of Gaul, Maunder gives us an unprecedented portrait of one of the great cyclists to have ever lived. Beyond the usual one sentence description of Gaul as a great climber, we get to discover his rapid rise to the top, the challenges that awaited him, but perhaps most interestingly to me, his growing maturity through the years.
It did not surprise me to read that Gaul was capable of the incredible in the mountains. Nor did it surprise me to find out that these feats could be intertwined with moments of vulnerability, where the race escaped him before it had even begun. After all, we see this from champion climbers all the time. But from a sporting perspective, I found it especially interesting to learn that Gaul had both consistency and durability when at his very best. In the years of 1957-1959, he transformed from a generational talent to a man capable of consistently challenging for Grand Tour podiums. That is more than I ever knew of this ‘Angel of the Mountains.’
I thought the parallels between Gaul and Marco Pantani were very effective, and given more weight by the strength of their friendship. In Pantani, we see what could have been for Gaul. For fans of Il Pirata, perhaps we see in Gaul what might have been for Marco, had things worked out for the better.
It pleased me greatly to learn the real truth of Gaul’s ‘years of solitude.’ That not only did he come to find love and family, but also a reconnection with the sport of cycling. So often, cycling treats these athletes as though they are not human, and all too often, their wellbeing suffers.
But as Maunder rightly points out, cycling has a particular passion for nostalgia, and as such, our champions are celebrated in earnest. It makes me happy that Gaul was celebrated as such when he returned to the fold.
Above all else, I think I will take away the image of an ageing Gaul riding up Mont Ventoux from this book. There, amidst the backdrop of one of his greatest triumphs, the Angel spread his wings once more. Only, this time, he could take pride in riding alongside his daughter, and find peace in the cheers that still followed up. Ventoux is truly one of Earth’s special places, for bad and for good, and it is only right that a piece of Charly’s soul remains on that mountainside.
This was a truly enjoyable read, and one that left me with a sense of both joy and loss when I closed the final page.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 17, 2025
Charly Gaul was the 1958 Tour de France winner who led a curious life, well detailed in this biography. He competed in a completely different era, which makes interesting reading. He was a superb climber and his training and attitude proves how good he was. The author tries to understand a complex character who became a hermit after quitting racing..
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews