Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling

by William Fotheringham

Badger

Genres: Cycling, Biography, Sports, Nonfiction, France

370 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lokakuu on ovella, mutta pyöräilykausi jatkuu vielä - jos ei maantiellä, niin nojatuolissa kirja kädessä. Englantilaisen William Fotheringhamin "The Badger - the Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling" (Chicago Review Press, 2015) osoittautui kiinnostavaksi elämäkerraksi.

Bernard Hinault oli oman aikakautensa huippupyöräilijöitä, jonka merittilistalle mahtuu muun muassa peräti viisi Ranskan ympäriajon voittoa (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 ja 1985), kolme Giro d'Italiaa ja vielä jokunen Vuelta päälle. Vastaavaan ei ole pystynyt kuin muutama ns. raskaan sarjan legenda.

Lempinimi Le Blaireau eli Mäyrä juontaa juurensa Hinaultin taistelutahtoon, hyökkäävään ajotyyliin ja melko aggressiiviseen tapaan kohdella pelotonin muita ajajia. Hinaultille eivät nimittäin ryppyilleet sen enempää luonnonvoimat, Ranskan ympäriajon katkaisseet lakkoilijat kuin liian omavaltaiseksi ryhtyneet kanssakilpailijat.

Jos Hinaultin ykkössijat Ranskan ympäriajoissa olisivat oikeuttaneet paikkaan pyöräilevän kansakunnan kaapin päällä, niin melkoisen jäljen lajin historiaan jäivät myös ne kerrat, jolloin hän sijoittui kakkoseksi. Vuoden 1986 taistelu tallikaveri Greg LeMondia vastaan lienee legendaarisimpia lukuja kilpailun pitkässä historiassa. Voisikin lukaista jossakin vaiheessa siitä kirjoitetun teoksen Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France.

Loppupuolella käsitellään ranskalaisen pyöräilyn vähän kiusallista nykytilaa. Hinault on nimittäin viimeinen isäntämaan edustaja, joka on kyennyt Tourin voittoon, eikä odotukselle taida näkyä loppua, vaikka kirjan ilmestymisestä on kulunut seitsemän vuotta. Syitä tähän lienee monia, mutta muutaman potentiaalisen huipun kohdalla "seuraavaan Hinaultiin" kohdistuvat paineet ovat saattaneet olla liikaa.

Fotheringham kirjoittaa fiksusti ja kiinnostavasti, joskin hänellä on pikkuisen ärsyttävä maneeri ripotella tekstiin ranskankielisiä termejä ja fraaseja, jotka sitten jäävät kääntämättä.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Patron of the peloton. 5 time Tour De France Champion, the Badger, this tells the tale of Bernard Hinault and his rise to dominate the sport of cycling in the last 70’s and early 80’s after the retirement of Eddy Mercxx and before the rise of Greg Lemond and Miguel Indurain. As the book tells Hinault was the last of the riders who competed a full schedule rather than gear the whole year around 1 Grand Tour winning many classics, and smaller Tours. His Grand Tour record is remarkable 5 Tour De France Wins in 8 attempts, 3 Giro wins in 3 attempts and 2 Vuelta wins in 2 attempts. It also delves into the rivalry and feud with Greg Lemond in the 85 and 86 Tours, and into his aggressive riding style. good read.

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ei ihan yhtä mukaansatempaava kuin Fotheringhamin Merckx-kirja, tai sitten tein (taas) sen virheen että luin kaksi liian samanlaista kirjaa peräkkäin. Hyvä, sujuva kirja kuitenkin. Fotheringham on rautainen ammattilainen ja teksti ja tapahtumat soljuvat ymmärrettävästi eteenpäin. Hinault'sta ja kilpakumppaneista syntyy niin monitahoinen kuva kuin urheilijasta voi tämän uran, saavutusten ja epäonnistumisten, perusteella syntyä.

[Joe O'Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bernard Hinault was one hard bastard, with the emphasis on the ‘bastard’ part of that statement. That’s my main conclusion from “The Badger”, William Fotheringham’s biography of Hinault, the five-time Tour de France champion and perhaps the greatest cyclist that France has ever produced.

“The Badger” portrays Bernard Hinault as cycling’s ultimate self-made man, a rebel who pulled himself out of his poor upbringing in rural Brittany to become – through sheer force of character – the most decorated cyclist on the planet. And that character was typified by belligerence, arrogance, and what Fotheringham describes as “a vindictive mentality” that sought to ruthlessly exploit the weaknesses of his opponents. It is difficult to untangle this pugnacious temperament from Bernard Hinault’s stellar record at the pinnacle of his sport. Hinault’s philosophy of ‘Total Attack at all times’ was borne out of his determination to “harass the adversary at every opportunity”.

Sports biographies can often descend into a litany of stats and records - of how their protagonist ‘won-this-race, and then he won another race’ – but William Fotheringham keeps the narrative lively and advancing with momentum. Anybody interested in the history of Tour de France will find much worthy of attention in “The Badger”, even if they agree with Paul Kimmage’s assessment of Hinault: “He was a great champion, but I didn’t like him”.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great thing about the title of this book is I overlooked the phrase after the colon until I was well into the words. It is certainly a biography (life of) but, perhaps more importantly, Fotheringham weaves the biography into the state (and mind) of French cycling.

Hinault came by him moniker honestly, that is, the man was a beast, very strong physically and mentally, quick to anger, and more than willing to attack (sometimes too willing). He also was quite clear about his thoughts. The incident at Paris-Nice, in which he waded into strikers blocking the road throwing punches and getting a couple of broken ribs made that clear.

I'm still considering what he did to Greg LeMond in the 1986 Tour and again in 1987. If he was truly "helping" LeMond win he did it by forcing him to win by attacking over and over. LeMond won, ultimately, but it wasn't pretty.

If you're interested in the history of bicycling, especially the period from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, you'll really enjoy this book.

[Anthony Paolucci · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel that a different writer could have made this story more exciting. It was a bit of a dry read until the second half of the book when they describe the end of Bernard Hinault's career. I felt this way about the author's other book about Eddy Merckx. That being said, even an underwhelming author can't completely take away from such a larger-than-life personality as Bernard Hinault and his impact on professional cycling. I would recommend reading if you simply want to learn about the man and the state of French cycling and its history, and not because you want to be entertained and riveted.

[James Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to know what to say - books like this will show its age as it focuses on what next for French cycling and arguably the book doesn’t really live up to its billing. It’s mainly a book about Bernard Hinault, less about any rise or fall of French cycling, although I get the analogy. In terms of its main focus it is a good read, although it’s fighting for space alongside other books on Hinault, including the one he wrote himself and the much better Slaying the Badger. The use of ‘two speed” references became tiresome and to blame that on French cycling failures doesn’t address the unknown darker side to Hinault and Fignon’s recovery methods

[April Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hinault was the last great rider to come out of France. This book gives a realistic portrait of the man and his considerable accomplishments. If you are a Tour fan, this is a book for you.

[Ajay Ramachandran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely read, detailing the mind and the career of le blaireau.. encapsulates the essence of the era very well as videos of those times are scarce..

[Dewayne Stark · Rating 4 out of 5]

He dis so many different styles. Cyclocross, wooden tracks and so many wins.

[Paul McCormack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serious detail

[John Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of detail, facts and stories from other riders make this an interesting biography. Getting Hinaults opinion on the 1986 tour was interesting particularly after watching Slaying the Badger.

[Luis Posada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen libro

Me hizo recorrer y recordar cada carretera y cada carrera que recuerdo de las veces que vi en tv a Hinault. Lástima que como todos en Francia, también el autor en sus últimas páginas se dedique a buscar el sucesor del Tejón.

[Ivor Kovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Offers a good grasp on Hinault’s career. Goes in depths describing the crucial races and gives some insight into his personality. Great stories of epic struggles and battles. Like epic fairytales for grownups.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far better than his book about Merckx, I really liked it:) This was a wonderful birthday present from my sweetheart.

[Frans Van Der Zanden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aardige biografie van een boeiend wielrenner.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hinault is much more than a rider with an extensive palmares. Read on to find out more.

[Teresa Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this here on goodreads. I am not a cyclist, but it was interesting to read about it. Very well written.

[Richard Luck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling and fascinating - perfect reading what with Le Tour currently ongoing.