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Anquetil, Alone: The legend of the controversial Tour de France champion
Shortlisted for the Sports Book Awards 2018 for Biography of the Year and Cycling Book of the Year
There are things he does alone, and things that he alone does.
Jacques Anquetil was a cyclist with an aristocratic demeanor and a relaxed attitude to rules and morals. His womanising and frank admissions of doping appalled 1960s French society, even as his five Tour de France wins enthralled it.
Paul Fournel was besotted with him from the start ("Too young to understand, I was nevertheless old enough to admire") and followed Anquetil's career with the passion of a fan and the eye of a poet.
In this stunningly original biography of a complex and divisive character, Fournel - author of the seminal V�lo (or Need for the Bike)- blends the story of Anquetil's life with scenes from his own, to create a classic of cycling literature.
There are things he does alone, and things that he alone does.
Jacques Anquetil was a cyclist with an aristocratic demeanor and a relaxed attitude to rules and morals. His womanising and frank admissions of doping appalled 1960s French society, even as his five Tour de France wins enthralled it.
Paul Fournel was besotted with him from the start ("Too young to understand, I was nevertheless old enough to admire") and followed Anquetil's career with the passion of a fan and the eye of a poet.
In this stunningly original biography of a complex and divisive character, Fournel - author of the seminal V�lo (or Need for the Bike)- blends the story of Anquetil's life with scenes from his own, to create a classic of cycling literature.
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 3, 2023
Paul Fournelin "Anquetil, Alone" (Pursuit, 2018) on pieni kirja ranskalaisesta mestaripyöräilijästä Jacques Anquetilista, joka tuli tunnetuksi Ranskan ympäriajojen viisinkertaisena voittajana ja kuvia kumaretelemattomana persoonallisuutena, jonka ihmissuhteet olivat vähintäänkin mutkikkaita.
Fournelin teos ei edusta sitä kaikkein perinteisintä pyöräilykirjallisuutta. Elämäntarina ei etenee kronologisesti, vaan esille nostetaan hetkiä ja yksityiskohtia, jotka pyrkivät valottamaan urheilijan elämää ja uraa kaikkine saavutuksineen. Ja saavutuksista puheen ollen: vaikka maantiellä voittaisitkin pahimman kilpakumppanisi Raymond Poulidorin kerta toisensa jälkeen, saatat siitä huolimatta jäädä aina kakkoseksi kun kyse on suuren yleisön tuntemasta rakkaudesta.
Lopputulos muistuttaa hetkittäin kaunokirjallisuutta, ja on paljon paremmin kirjoitettu kuin suurin osa urheilukirjallisuudesta. Välillä kirjailija pohdiskelee myös omaa suhdettaan lapsuutensa ja nuoruutensa idoliin, jonka hän muistaanähneensä ensimmäistä kilpailemassa velodromilla Saint-Étiennessä - mutta voiko muisti sittenkin tehdä tepposet?
Hieno pieni teos kaikille kilpapyöräilyn ystäville.
Fournelin teos ei edusta sitä kaikkein perinteisintä pyöräilykirjallisuutta. Elämäntarina ei etenee kronologisesti, vaan esille nostetaan hetkiä ja yksityiskohtia, jotka pyrkivät valottamaan urheilijan elämää ja uraa kaikkine saavutuksineen. Ja saavutuksista puheen ollen: vaikka maantiellä voittaisitkin pahimman kilpakumppanisi Raymond Poulidorin kerta toisensa jälkeen, saatat siitä huolimatta jäädä aina kakkoseksi kun kyse on suuren yleisön tuntemasta rakkaudesta.
Lopputulos muistuttaa hetkittäin kaunokirjallisuutta, ja on paljon paremmin kirjoitettu kuin suurin osa urheilukirjallisuudesta. Välillä kirjailija pohdiskelee myös omaa suhdettaan lapsuutensa ja nuoruutensa idoliin, jonka hän muistaanähneensä ensimmäistä kilpailemassa velodromilla Saint-Étiennessä - mutta voiko muisti sittenkin tehdä tepposet?
Hieno pieni teos kaikille kilpapyöräilyn ystäville.
January 4, 2018
Anquetil memories
A quick read, sometimes clumsily translated from its original French, which I thought added to its charm. An inspiring story of a great champion, with flaws exposed.
A quick read, sometimes clumsily translated from its original French, which I thought added to its charm. An inspiring story of a great champion, with flaws exposed.
January 13, 2022
Desde hace un tiempo, varios vendedores de humo usan a deportistas exitosos y retirados para hacer charlas motivacionales. Pensaba en eso mientras leía las páginas de este libro, mientras descubría la singularidad de un ciclista al que nunca vi correr y del que he escuchado mucho. En las páginas finales, Fournel dice que Anquetil no puede ser un modelo para nadie, y no lo dice porque sea un mal ejemplo, sino por esa misma singularidad. Lo que le funciona a Anquetil y a cualquier otro deportista no puede volverse una guía de conducta. No hay forma.
Este libro, escrito con mucha maestría, nos muestra la soledad y la singularidad de Anquetil, pero sin dar una definición única y certera de cómo era Anquetil. Nos describe situaciones, contradicciones, lealtades, decisiones erradas tal vez, de un hombre que siempre estuvo por encima del dolor para imponerse en un deporte en el que, seguramente, muchos eran mejores que él, pero ninguno era como él.
***
El librero que me convenció de comprar este libro me dijo: "Incluso, si no existiera el ciclismo, este es un libro hermoso".
Claro, es un libro sobre ciclismo, pero también es un libro sobre cómo se van ¿deconstruyendo? nuestros ídolos. Fournel quiere ser Anquetil, es Anquetil, le da una voz a Anquetil, en un trabajo que requiere mucho estudio, mucha maestría para escribir, pero luego va descubriendo que no puede ser Anquetil y que la carrera con la que se hizo una imagen del Anquetil que dio origen a su pasión y obsesión era solo una imagen, un sueño. Como la escena final de 'El halcón maltés'.
Este libro, escrito con mucha maestría, nos muestra la soledad y la singularidad de Anquetil, pero sin dar una definición única y certera de cómo era Anquetil. Nos describe situaciones, contradicciones, lealtades, decisiones erradas tal vez, de un hombre que siempre estuvo por encima del dolor para imponerse en un deporte en el que, seguramente, muchos eran mejores que él, pero ninguno era como él.
***
El librero que me convenció de comprar este libro me dijo: "Incluso, si no existiera el ciclismo, este es un libro hermoso".
Claro, es un libro sobre ciclismo, pero también es un libro sobre cómo se van ¿deconstruyendo? nuestros ídolos. Fournel quiere ser Anquetil, es Anquetil, le da una voz a Anquetil, en un trabajo que requiere mucho estudio, mucha maestría para escribir, pero luego va descubriendo que no puede ser Anquetil y que la carrera con la que se hizo una imagen del Anquetil que dio origen a su pasión y obsesión era solo una imagen, un sueño. Como la escena final de 'El halcón maltés'.
April 13, 2022
Beautifully written and observed biography of one of the most enigmatic and greatest cyclists of all time. Well worth reading
October 26, 2017
Buen libro si te gusta el deporte en general y el ciclismo en particular. Todo un personaje el amigo Jaques.
April 12, 2021
Tremendous. The story of a remarkable champion and the young boy whose idol he is. This book is what you get when a poet writes a biography and puts himself in the story, bringing to life the ways in which sporting greats inspire, affect and sometimes damage those around them. So intensely does a younger Fournel identify with his hero we are not always sure which cyclist on a green bicycle is which. "Between the ages of six and nineteen, I was Anquetil and I can testify that it wasn't a comfortable place to be." Beautifully written.
January 24, 2021
If you want a book that gives a biographical insight to the life of Jacques Anquetil then I would recommend ‘Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape’, but this book is different. Describing Fournel’s passion for Anquetil and following his life story is delivered in a wonderful flourish of words, elegantly described and with such vivid mental pictures.
December 31, 2017
A beautiful paean to cycling, youth, and the greatest of sporting heroes.
January 30, 2019
Es un libro que se me hizo corto, da pinceladas sobre la vida y carácter de Jaques Anquetil
July 18, 2020
Cycling life
Great look at a different age of cycling and a different outlook on sport just do enough and no more
Great look at a different age of cycling and a different outlook on sport just do enough and no more
May 31, 2021
Poetic & personal, a lovely read
January 19, 2019
An unconventional biography, but all the better for it. Instead of taking us through Anquetil's life chronologically, the book is arranged into different subjects, such as what drove Anquetil, what partnerships and rivalries helped shape him, and even what made him 'annoying'.
Aside from the excellent (and often really funny) anecdotes about Anquetil directly, what I really loved about this book was Fournel's own recollections of idolising the cyclist as a child. His descriptions of pouring over every mention of Anquetil in the newspaper, of "being" Anquetil in bike races against his friends, and the eventual realisation that he would never be anything like his hero, are evocative and touching.
Definitely need to read some more cycling books this year, but I doubt any will be quite like this one.
Aside from the excellent (and often really funny) anecdotes about Anquetil directly, what I really loved about this book was Fournel's own recollections of idolising the cyclist as a child. His descriptions of pouring over every mention of Anquetil in the newspaper, of "being" Anquetil in bike races against his friends, and the eventual realisation that he would never be anything like his hero, are evocative and touching.
Definitely need to read some more cycling books this year, but I doubt any will be quite like this one.
November 27, 2020
Grabbed this at a bookstore in Paris while in a rush to catch a train. Mostly just saw the cyclist on the cover and figured it’d be interesting.
The translation to English was a bit bumpy, but still an entertaining read. Great imagery of cycling’s “heydey” - cobblestone races, chainsmoking mid-ride, all sorts of backdoor deals and antics between the competitors.
The translation to English was a bit bumpy, but still an entertaining read. Great imagery of cycling’s “heydey” - cobblestone races, chainsmoking mid-ride, all sorts of backdoor deals and antics between the competitors.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews