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Cycling Grand Tours Trilogy #1
French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France
Not only is it the world's largest and most watched sporting event, but also the most fearsome physical challenge ever conceived by man, demanding every last ounce of will and strength, every last drop of blood, sweat, and tears. If ever there was an athletic exploit specifically not for the faint of heart and feeble of limb, this is it. So you might ask, what is Tim Moore doing cycling it?
An extremely good question. Ignoring the pleading dictates of reason and common sense, Moore determined to tackle the Tour de France, all 2,256 miles of it, in the weeks before the professionals entered the stage. This decision was one he would regret for nearly its entire length. But readers--those who now know Moore's name deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Bill Bryson and Calvin Trillin--will feel otherwise. They are in for a side-splitting treat.
French Revolutions gives us a hilariously unforgettable account of Moore's attempt to conquer the Tour de France. "Conquer" may not be quite the right word. He cheats when he can, pops the occasional hayfever pill for an ephedrine rush (a fine old Tour tradition), sips cheap wine from his water bottle, and occasionally weeps on the phone to his wife. But along the way he gives readers an account of the race's colorful history and greatest Eddy Merckx, Greg Lemond, Lance Armstrong, and even Firmin Lambot, aka the "Lucky Belgian," who won the race at the age of 36. Fans of the Tour de France will learn why the yellow jersey is yellow, and how cyclists learned to save precious seconds (a race that lasts for three weeks is all about split seconds) by relieving themselves en route. And if that isn't enough, his account of a rural France tarting itself up for its moment in the spotlight leaves popular quaint descriptions of small towns in Provence in the proverbial dust. If you either love or hate the French, or both, you'll want to travel along with Time Moore.
French Revolutions is Tim Moore's funniest book to date. It is also one of the funniest sports books ever written.
An extremely good question. Ignoring the pleading dictates of reason and common sense, Moore determined to tackle the Tour de France, all 2,256 miles of it, in the weeks before the professionals entered the stage. This decision was one he would regret for nearly its entire length. But readers--those who now know Moore's name deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Bill Bryson and Calvin Trillin--will feel otherwise. They are in for a side-splitting treat.
French Revolutions gives us a hilariously unforgettable account of Moore's attempt to conquer the Tour de France. "Conquer" may not be quite the right word. He cheats when he can, pops the occasional hayfever pill for an ephedrine rush (a fine old Tour tradition), sips cheap wine from his water bottle, and occasionally weeps on the phone to his wife. But along the way he gives readers an account of the race's colorful history and greatest Eddy Merckx, Greg Lemond, Lance Armstrong, and even Firmin Lambot, aka the "Lucky Belgian," who won the race at the age of 36. Fans of the Tour de France will learn why the yellow jersey is yellow, and how cyclists learned to save precious seconds (a race that lasts for three weeks is all about split seconds) by relieving themselves en route. And if that isn't enough, his account of a rural France tarting itself up for its moment in the spotlight leaves popular quaint descriptions of small towns in Provence in the proverbial dust. If you either love or hate the French, or both, you'll want to travel along with Time Moore.
French Revolutions is Tim Moore's funniest book to date. It is also one of the funniest sports books ever written.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2001
About the author
Tim Moore
40 books219 followersTim Moore is a British travel writer and humorist. He was educated at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith. In addition to his seven published travelogues to date, his writings have appeared in various publications including Esquire, The Sunday Times, The Independent, The Observer and the Evening Standard. He was also briefly a journalist for the Teletext computer games magazine Digitiser, under the pseudonym Mr Hairs, alongside Mr Biffo (aka comedy and sitcom writer Paul Rose.)
His book Frost On My Moustache is an account of a journey in which the author attempts to emulate Lord Dufferin's fearless spirit and enthusiastic adventuring, but comes to identify far more with Dufferin's permanently miserable butler, Wilson, as portrayed Dufferin's travel book Letters From High Latitudes.
In 2004, Moore presented an ITV programme based on his book Do Not Pass Go, a travelogue of his journey around the locations that appear on a British Monopoly board.
Moore lives in Chiswick, West London with his Icelandic wife Birna Helgadóttir and their three children, Kristján, Lilja and Valdis. He is also a brother-in-law of Agnar Helgason and Asgeir Helgason, and son-in-law of Helgi Valdimarsson.
His book Frost On My Moustache is an account of a journey in which the author attempts to emulate Lord Dufferin's fearless spirit and enthusiastic adventuring, but comes to identify far more with Dufferin's permanently miserable butler, Wilson, as portrayed Dufferin's travel book Letters From High Latitudes.
In 2004, Moore presented an ITV programme based on his book Do Not Pass Go, a travelogue of his journey around the locations that appear on a British Monopoly board.
Moore lives in Chiswick, West London with his Icelandic wife Birna Helgadóttir and their three children, Kristján, Lilja and Valdis. He is also a brother-in-law of Agnar Helgason and Asgeir Helgason, and son-in-law of Helgi Valdimarsson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 244 reviews
March 22, 2015
The book started off great. It was funny and the main character seems a little dumb for trying a challenge like this. Unfortunately, this is the funniest part of the book. Only very rarely are there any other funny pays in the book. Quite a disappointment as the cover of the book is filled with blurbs about how hilarious the book is.
There is a sort of self-deprecating 'humor' going on throughout the rest of the book though. However it's constantly used and becomes tiring because of this.
Something else that bothered me, was that the writer was trying to show of his knowledge of big words. At least, so it seemed. There are quite a few of these used throughout the book, so many in fact that at some point it started to annoy me and I started wondering if regular words were beneath the writer.
Some of the flashbacks seem to have no clear purpose except for confusion, or filling space. Many were unnecessary.
There are a few things however that I did like about the book. It was very recognizable, whether you're big on sports or not. It's easy to realize what's happening and why, which leads to the next pro of the book: the struggles the main character goes through are very well described. It seems to be quite accurate and is detailed as well.
There were some pretty gross scenes in the book as well, mostly to do with bodily functions/fluids. If you're very squeamish, you might want to avoid those scenes.
All in all, I didn't really enjoy the book. I had to force myself to keep reading. Maybe the type of humor used want really my thing. Whatever it was, it did not make me laugh out loud as promised.
There is a sort of self-deprecating 'humor' going on throughout the rest of the book though. However it's constantly used and becomes tiring because of this.
Something else that bothered me, was that the writer was trying to show of his knowledge of big words. At least, so it seemed. There are quite a few of these used throughout the book, so many in fact that at some point it started to annoy me and I started wondering if regular words were beneath the writer.
Some of the flashbacks seem to have no clear purpose except for confusion, or filling space. Many were unnecessary.
There are a few things however that I did like about the book. It was very recognizable, whether you're big on sports or not. It's easy to realize what's happening and why, which leads to the next pro of the book: the struggles the main character goes through are very well described. It seems to be quite accurate and is detailed as well.
There were some pretty gross scenes in the book as well, mostly to do with bodily functions/fluids. If you're very squeamish, you might want to avoid those scenes.
All in all, I didn't really enjoy the book. I had to force myself to keep reading. Maybe the type of humor used want really my thing. Whatever it was, it did not make me laugh out loud as promised.
May 10, 2014
Honestly, if you are thinking of reading this book about one British man's attempt to do the 2000 Tour de France route, get the audio. It's so funny. Just kept laughing so hard. Hear about Mars bars, mountains, and ass cream!
Listen in amazement as he recounts the struggle of putting the bike together.
Shake your head as he tries to find drug aid!
And there is a bunch of Tour de France history as well (Note, though, this was written before Armstrong's confession).
Listen in amazement as he recounts the struggle of putting the bike together.
Shake your head as he tries to find drug aid!
And there is a bunch of Tour de France history as well (Note, though, this was written before Armstrong's confession).
June 24, 2018
My brother, an avid cyclist, passed this on to me. Well I thought this was utter crap. Firstly, at the beginning he talks about not having done much cycling, not being fit, does hardly any training, nearly falls over trying to get used to clip in pedals etc. Yet another in a long line of delusional males, or is this ineptitude supposed to engender sympathy or humor in the reader? It just irritated me. Then he gets started on riding the tour and is suddenly clocking up 100s of kilometers and makes mention to one of the poor hoteliers that encounter him that his bike cost $24,000. So there is a hefty smell of bullshit surrounding his attempts at playing the stupid amateur. And if he's playing this for laughs, it was really shit. Not funny at all. In fact he just comes across as a gigantic cock. Rude and practically xenophobic to the poor French people he encounters.
August 7, 2012
I'm not quite sure how you prepare for biking 3000 km of the Tour de France route by running a couple of times and heading out on the new bike a couple of times. But somehow Moore pulled it off.
And he doesn't pull any punches with the descriptions. Wanna know how you'd feel after biking just over 254 km in a day, arrive in the town of Troyes in the night only to find there's not a hotel room in the entire town, but your wife, calling to France from England for you found one in a city 13-22 km away, so off you go again on your bike, finding your feeble bike lights don't cut it in the rural landscape? He writes:
"I was relieved to turn off the N19, but not for very long. The trees rose up about me and blocked off the moon; if the roads hadn't been almost dead straight I'd never have made it. I could barely make out the fingerposts at all and, when I did, the only way to read them was to shin up the pole and hold my flashing light an inch away from the lettering. An owl hooted. I ran over something pulpy. There were other sounds. I hadn't seen any signs of life for an eon. The suggestion that somewhere in this wooded wilderness lay a Holiday Inn was an outrage against logic. Wolves--certainly; vagrant lunatics--odds-on; a solitary cleated foot emerging from recently disturbed soil--well, the night was young."
There's another great description of him sitting to a meal after a day of biking, muddied and worn, bits of dead wasps and dried skin falling off his face into his half eaten pasta that was a fantastic bit...
Chapeau, Tim Moore, Chapeau, indeed!
And he doesn't pull any punches with the descriptions. Wanna know how you'd feel after biking just over 254 km in a day, arrive in the town of Troyes in the night only to find there's not a hotel room in the entire town, but your wife, calling to France from England for you found one in a city 13-22 km away, so off you go again on your bike, finding your feeble bike lights don't cut it in the rural landscape? He writes:
"I was relieved to turn off the N19, but not for very long. The trees rose up about me and blocked off the moon; if the roads hadn't been almost dead straight I'd never have made it. I could barely make out the fingerposts at all and, when I did, the only way to read them was to shin up the pole and hold my flashing light an inch away from the lettering. An owl hooted. I ran over something pulpy. There were other sounds. I hadn't seen any signs of life for an eon. The suggestion that somewhere in this wooded wilderness lay a Holiday Inn was an outrage against logic. Wolves--certainly; vagrant lunatics--odds-on; a solitary cleated foot emerging from recently disturbed soil--well, the night was young."
There's another great description of him sitting to a meal after a day of biking, muddied and worn, bits of dead wasps and dried skin falling off his face into his half eaten pasta that was a fantastic bit...
Chapeau, Tim Moore, Chapeau, indeed!
January 6, 2018
I don't normally review book I fail to finish but this book is so bad I feel compelled to do so. The author combines poor quality writing with attempts at schoolboy humour which simply don't work. Not for me, I gave up, however, it may amuse other readers. Oddly enough, checking back on my records, I read this book in 2007 all the way to the end! Maybe my tolerance has decreased or my standards increased since then, who knows?
October 30, 2017
Despite claiming not to be cyclist, the author decides to cycle the 3,630km Tour de France route that is due to take place in a month’s time. Whilst a few shortcuts occur on the way, his efforts are rather remarkable, most especially given the number of “watering” stops that he takes along the way in order to refuel in the appropriate French fashion.
Whilst the writing is at times witty, be aware that the focus is very much on the riders and history of the Tour de France and less on the surrounding countryside and towns that he passes through. As such, this will appeal more to cycling aficionados and most especially to Tour de France nuts than someone who might be looking for a travelogue through France. For me, I punctured at 44% finished and had to retire from the race.
Whilst the writing is at times witty, be aware that the focus is very much on the riders and history of the Tour de France and less on the surrounding countryside and towns that he passes through. As such, this will appeal more to cycling aficionados and most especially to Tour de France nuts than someone who might be looking for a travelogue through France. For me, I punctured at 44% finished and had to retire from the race.
August 8, 2010
Travel writing is ubiquitous, but good travel writing is hard to come by. Fortunately, Tim Moore's "French Revolutions" fits in the latter category.
Moore is a crazy Brit who decides he's going to cycle the Tour de France route in 2000 about a month before the tour and discovers that, at the end of all things, he was indeed mad to undertake such an adventure. He fails in some of his goals, triumphing in others. He meets genuinely good people and a bunch of pratts. His encounters with "official" France and the "paysan" France mirror the encounters I had while I lived in the country for nearly two years: Officials are very official and the paysans are, for the most part, pretty decent.
But back to the book. Moore follows the best tenet I've ever observed of travel writing: It's about the travel, not the author. Yes, the author has to insert himself or herself into the book as the narrator, but there are some authors who can't resist putting themselves in as characters so often they get in the way of the writing. John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" comes to mind in this category. Moore, on the other hand, manages to keep the narrative going without inserting his writerly self in at every little hairpin turn in the road.
The book brought back a lot of memories. Not that I've ever cycled the Tour de France route, but I have done plenty of cycling in the French countryside and, for two days, was trapped in my apartment because not only was the city I was living in at the time a "ville d'etape," but also the neighborhood where I lived was also the epicenter of the race's arrival and departure. I have an audio recording of the event somewhere. I'm going to have to dig it out now and listen to it again.
Moore is a crazy Brit who decides he's going to cycle the Tour de France route in 2000 about a month before the tour and discovers that, at the end of all things, he was indeed mad to undertake such an adventure. He fails in some of his goals, triumphing in others. He meets genuinely good people and a bunch of pratts. His encounters with "official" France and the "paysan" France mirror the encounters I had while I lived in the country for nearly two years: Officials are very official and the paysans are, for the most part, pretty decent.
But back to the book. Moore follows the best tenet I've ever observed of travel writing: It's about the travel, not the author. Yes, the author has to insert himself or herself into the book as the narrator, but there are some authors who can't resist putting themselves in as characters so often they get in the way of the writing. John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" comes to mind in this category. Moore, on the other hand, manages to keep the narrative going without inserting his writerly self in at every little hairpin turn in the road.
The book brought back a lot of memories. Not that I've ever cycled the Tour de France route, but I have done plenty of cycling in the French countryside and, for two days, was trapped in my apartment because not only was the city I was living in at the time a "ville d'etape," but also the neighborhood where I lived was also the epicenter of the race's arrival and departure. I have an audio recording of the event somewhere. I'm going to have to dig it out now and listen to it again.
August 2, 2011
Thank goodness I read this book. Many years ago I circum-cycled Tasmania and, on completion, thought about what my next challenge would be. Unsurprisingly (due to what must have been lactic acid-affected cognition) I also hit upon the idea of cycling the Tour de France route. And though I subsequently recognised it as a silly idea (or rather, far too hard), now I really, really don't have to do it 'cause this author has done it for me.
Containing some fascinating anecdotes of Tour history, and providing a great comparison between elite and recreational sportsman, Tim Moore (barely in the latter category) pilots his way, as best he can, through the French, Swiss and German countryside (mostly) atop his bicycle. Along the way he manically, obstinately and hilariously butts heads against those who cross his path - but reserves his worst words for himself. Funny as the journey may be - for the reader at least - he arguably doesn't achieve his goal. In one regard though, he does have his name on par, for a moment, with the supermen who make the Tour their living.
Chapeau!
Containing some fascinating anecdotes of Tour history, and providing a great comparison between elite and recreational sportsman, Tim Moore (barely in the latter category) pilots his way, as best he can, through the French, Swiss and German countryside (mostly) atop his bicycle. Along the way he manically, obstinately and hilariously butts heads against those who cross his path - but reserves his worst words for himself. Funny as the journey may be - for the reader at least - he arguably doesn't achieve his goal. In one regard though, he does have his name on par, for a moment, with the supermen who make the Tour their living.
Chapeau!
June 9, 2016
Let's be absolutely clear – this is not a "travel book". It is not full of lush descriptions of pretty towns and villages. There are very few romantic musings on the French way of life. And it is definitely not an affectionate tribute to France or its people. This is a book for cyclists and Tour enthusiasts, not travellers. It's well written, descriptive, and funny, and it's clearly written by someone who has much affection for "Le Tour" and its "histoire". But if you're after a book that combines a re-creation of the race with an affection for the country, try "One Day Ahead" by Richard Grady.
August 15, 2007
A rank amateur rides the route of the Tour de France, with painful and hilarious results. Very funny, lots of Tour history. Think Bill Bryson with a bicycle.
September 10, 2016
This book ought to have easily won me over as it is a travelogue and about long distance cycling and about France -all of which I love. A review on the cover promises "hilarious self-deprecation", but to be honest, he wasn't self-deprecating enough, and when he was it was in the way a swotty student says insincerely "I'm going to fail" only to achieve an A*. I found his vainglorious, narcissistic boasting grating after a while, and grew to the point that by the end of the book, I had grown an irrational dislike of the author. With almost no prior training, supposedly, he manages to do 16 km at an average speed of 27.7 k.p.h. -all the while dismissing his lack of fitness. To do that on a fully laden bike with no training. As someone who considers 16-20 k.p.h. a pretty decent cycling pace, I found this galling, but then again, I am not into competitive cycling; in a word, the pursuit of high speeds is all about inflated EGO. My early suspicion that the author was a man who needed to massage his own ego as much as his legs, actually far more than that, was confirmed in many glaring and cringeworthy examples, which were echoed also in his pretentious use of language, for example, why use "bidon" when "water bottle" is what they are known as online and in shops, and most of all, by cyclists? (I couldn't help but think that had he used the less high faluting word, he might have avoided the build up of bacteria in his bidons due to sugary drinks.) It was strange that he chose k as his abbreviation for kilometres, for no obvious reason, especially when km is the norm, and it reminded me of parents who give their children's names unique spellings. Apart from these excesses, the writing was good and the command of English was top drawer.
He seemed to fish for compliments about how great he was in every encounter. He couldn't share the road with another cyclist without being taken over by an inordinate desire to pass them out, especially if they were elderly. Here are some examples I found just nauseating to read. "I withdrew my odometer[his cycling computer to you and me], which I'd unclipped from ZR [his bike!] in order to gloat over."
About a group of club cyclists, "offered the first suggestions that the malaise blighting French cycling may be traced to the neglect of competitive training in favour of poncing about in new-season jerseys..." Personally, cycling should be about poncing about the bike, if that means enjoying cycling at a pace that suits you.
"It was beginning to look as if I might be becoming rather great."
"...then set off to cover those 15 waterside kilometres for the third time in little over an hour." - rub it in my face why don't you; I'd be happy to do one lap of 15 km in an hour.
"Our whole cycling relationship had been founded on the unspoken assumption that I was much better than he was." Ego much?
"...and with my average speed down at a risible 22.9..." - risible? I was thinking: Stop fishing for compliments, hold out your net and I will throw you five flatteries and a praise.
"Feeble Sunday-morning amateurs."
"Despite myself I got up on the pedals and gave him a bit of a show."
"If I wanted to be taken seriously by my masseur, the hair would have to go." - the Ego would be a far more apt extraction.
"Feeling smug and splendid and world-famous."p.262 - pass me the bucket.
"they (three teenage girls) even plotted my weary passage through their lives with glum envy." - humility is something, isn't it?
It was such a shame that Moore lived up to the ego-driven stereotype of racing cyclists because the book is humorously written and contains many gems from cycling history. I remember being told smugly by a passing cyclist - a similar obsessive about speed - "you need a smaller pump!" The book had that flavour about it. Why can't people just go and enjoy a cycle without worrying if they are the best? Anyway, without giving too much away it was no surprise that the EGO was finally transfigured, assumed or ascended in the end.
He seemed to fish for compliments about how great he was in every encounter. He couldn't share the road with another cyclist without being taken over by an inordinate desire to pass them out, especially if they were elderly. Here are some examples I found just nauseating to read. "I withdrew my odometer[his cycling computer to you and me], which I'd unclipped from ZR [his bike!] in order to gloat over."
About a group of club cyclists, "offered the first suggestions that the malaise blighting French cycling may be traced to the neglect of competitive training in favour of poncing about in new-season jerseys..." Personally, cycling should be about poncing about the bike, if that means enjoying cycling at a pace that suits you.
"It was beginning to look as if I might be becoming rather great."
"...then set off to cover those 15 waterside kilometres for the third time in little over an hour." - rub it in my face why don't you; I'd be happy to do one lap of 15 km in an hour.
"Our whole cycling relationship had been founded on the unspoken assumption that I was much better than he was." Ego much?
"...and with my average speed down at a risible 22.9..." - risible? I was thinking: Stop fishing for compliments, hold out your net and I will throw you five flatteries and a praise.
"Feeble Sunday-morning amateurs."
"Despite myself I got up on the pedals and gave him a bit of a show."
"If I wanted to be taken seriously by my masseur, the hair would have to go." - the Ego would be a far more apt extraction.
"Feeling smug and splendid and world-famous."p.262 - pass me the bucket.
"they (three teenage girls) even plotted my weary passage through their lives with glum envy." - humility is something, isn't it?
It was such a shame that Moore lived up to the ego-driven stereotype of racing cyclists because the book is humorously written and contains many gems from cycling history. I remember being told smugly by a passing cyclist - a similar obsessive about speed - "you need a smaller pump!" The book had that flavour about it. Why can't people just go and enjoy a cycle without worrying if they are the best? Anyway, without giving too much away it was no surprise that the EGO was finally transfigured, assumed or ascended in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2008
Picked this up a few weeks ago from the used bookstore after recognizing it from the Book Lust “Bicycling” list. This is the first season I’ve paid even the least bit of attention to road racing (after watching A Sunday in Hell and other classic-era race footage), making it a perfect read for the early season.
This is the true story of Tim Moore, a British humorist / travel writer / journalist, who - despite not owning a bike or ever having much success riding them - makes the resolution to ride the route of the 2000 Tour de France over his 35th birthday. His journey is one marked with failure and defeat (opting to skip a few of the early HC’s before getting his legs); experiments with drunkenness and over-the-counter doping (a half liter of wine with every lunch; attempts at using ephedrine and caffeine pills to make a tough climb); tired and misdirected rudeness (at one point making a lewd comment to a smug young “couple” he later realizes must be brother and sister); and countless adventures through foreign languages (asking most of France how the feel about “the tower”).
The humor is pretty straight forward (read: occasionally corny or predictable), but I found myself laughing at loud at least once every several pages . As a result of a recent biking mishap of my own, it actually had me laughing until I bled, as it contorted and tore at too-fresh face wounds. The book also offers a great look back at some of the historic moments of the tour - the first on-the-saddle urination; Tom Simpson’s fatal climb of Ventoux (“put me back on the bloody bike!”) - as well as providing an overview of the riders, history and strategies of road racing, and a travel-by-bike look at the towns along the route.
Definitely worth the read for those that like ride, or have an interest in le Tour. Maybe not for serious cyclists or race fans.
This is the true story of Tim Moore, a British humorist / travel writer / journalist, who - despite not owning a bike or ever having much success riding them - makes the resolution to ride the route of the 2000 Tour de France over his 35th birthday. His journey is one marked with failure and defeat (opting to skip a few of the early HC’s before getting his legs); experiments with drunkenness and over-the-counter doping (a half liter of wine with every lunch; attempts at using ephedrine and caffeine pills to make a tough climb); tired and misdirected rudeness (at one point making a lewd comment to a smug young “couple” he later realizes must be brother and sister); and countless adventures through foreign languages (asking most of France how the feel about “the tower”).
The humor is pretty straight forward (read: occasionally corny or predictable), but I found myself laughing at loud at least once every several pages . As a result of a recent biking mishap of my own, it actually had me laughing until I bled, as it contorted and tore at too-fresh face wounds. The book also offers a great look back at some of the historic moments of the tour - the first on-the-saddle urination; Tom Simpson’s fatal climb of Ventoux (“put me back on the bloody bike!”) - as well as providing an overview of the riders, history and strategies of road racing, and a travel-by-bike look at the towns along the route.
Definitely worth the read for those that like ride, or have an interest in le Tour. Maybe not for serious cyclists or race fans.
May 30, 2008
Yeah, it is about the Tour de France. Let's just get that out there. It's also about France and cycling and traveling and a mad person doing a mad thing. It's a really funny story (true) about a guy who decided that he probably didn't have traditional athletic skills but figured he could ride a bike so why not ride one around France in the month before the Tour de France and write about it. That's it, so if the idea of an out of shape Englishman hopping on a bike and trying to ride the course of the most grueling athletic event of the year doesn't appeal to you, then this is not for you. Of course, I can't understand why someone wouldn't be into that...
April 8, 2010
I didn't care for this one as much as the other Moore's I've read. The Tour de France historical background wasn't particularly interesting for me (not being interested in cycling); the humor was funny overall, though often with a vaguely self-congratulatory tone. Moreover, the new audio narrator for Moore's books came off a bit ... posh.
March 26, 2021
Ok so he is a bit of an arse but he is also a funny writer. I did enjoy his month of so travelling around France on a bike. Less of a travelogue and more a history of the Tour de France. With very few emphasis given to the countryside, people and food that you get with more usual travel writing but enjoyable nonetheless.
August 23, 2022
This book made me feel so old. So old.
It was so much less "musings on the Tour de France as you cycle it" and "musings on Tim Moore's leg hair and personal insecurity while he's unpleasant to his wife, friends, and random French people".
So on the one hand, this makes Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy sing by comparison; Moore's had 10 years between tours to grow up and stop being terrible to people. But on the other hand, there's still this book.
I... love non-fiction bike travel books, and I did not love this.
It was so much less "musings on the Tour de France as you cycle it" and "musings on Tim Moore's leg hair and personal insecurity while he's unpleasant to his wife, friends, and random French people".
So on the one hand, this makes Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy sing by comparison; Moore's had 10 years between tours to grow up and stop being terrible to people. But on the other hand, there's still this book.
I... love non-fiction bike travel books, and I did not love this.
November 18, 2025
A nice blend of history and his story, aside from a few (many) jokes that do not age very well. Also an interesting time capsule considering how much he writes about drugs in the same period that Lance Armstrong was at the top of his game.
January 29, 2025
Pyöräilykuume ei oo hirveesti laskenu, eikä nää pyöräreissukirjat sitä välttämättä laske... paitsi tää: Moore polkee Tour de Francen vuoden '00 (tai jotain) reitin, ja höpisee taas omiaan laidasta laitaan. Tää kyl vaikutti ehkä laskevasti pyöräreissuintoon, et TdF:n varrelle sattuu aika monta vuorta, ja niitten nousu tuntuu "like giving birth to a cement mixer". Sen sijaan TdF rupes kiinnostamaan enemmän, ja saatan jopa kattoa sen tänä vuonna ihan maksukanavalta :F
June 11, 2025
Generally good, interesting perspective compared to later books as this was, I think, the author's first long distance bicycle tour.
May 9, 2022
Tough read, more about a cultural clash of a british person during Tour's season in France and undermined coming along story of a person gradually cycling more than before.
June 19, 2024
Only good for the cycling fan, and even then somewhat exhausting. But so is the Tour de France so who am I to judge
August 17, 2018
I got this book a few years ago, and had a quick reread as the Tour de France progressed this year. I love everything about the Tour incidentally. The spectacle, the athleticism of the riders (toughest atheletes in the world!), the French countryside and the drama from possible cheating (barging on sprints, doping, etc). And of course I love cycling too. I’m pretty much on a bike everyday, for one reason or another.
In this book a keen amateur rider decides to do pretty much all of one years Tour course. At this own pace and staying where he can find.
Affectionate to the Tour, and very funny. Loved the bit where he tried doping himself with one of the drugs of choice for the tour then, via abundant hay fever tablets which carried the active ingredient in small amounts. And when he found he was getting regularly a bad stomach upset, eventually resolved by his visiting wife who discovered he wasn’t cleaning the mouth piece of his water bottle (where his spittle presumably festered day after day in the heat).
It’s full of anecdotes like that. Plus some Tour history tossed in.
The only book I’ve read on The Tour that made me laugh and it dovetailed with my own enthusiasm for it.
In this book a keen amateur rider decides to do pretty much all of one years Tour course. At this own pace and staying where he can find.
Affectionate to the Tour, and very funny. Loved the bit where he tried doping himself with one of the drugs of choice for the tour then, via abundant hay fever tablets which carried the active ingredient in small amounts. And when he found he was getting regularly a bad stomach upset, eventually resolved by his visiting wife who discovered he wasn’t cleaning the mouth piece of his water bottle (where his spittle presumably festered day after day in the heat).
It’s full of anecdotes like that. Plus some Tour history tossed in.
The only book I’ve read on The Tour that made me laugh and it dovetailed with my own enthusiasm for it.
November 18, 2010
There was general agreement that the book was a light, journalistic, good holiday read which did not need - or get - over analysis. The account of Moore’s escapades read well, eg his intake of calories including alcohol, though some thought he tried too hard to be funny. His treatment of his wife and children attracted some criticism, though Moore did show some awareness.
There was some discussion of what type of book it was. It was not a travel book. Moore did not give any insight into the France through which he was travelling; indeed his Little England caricature view of the French was somewhat overdone.
As well as being a personal diary of experiences, Moore’s book’s wider remit was as a history of the Tour De France. Even in this respect the research was seen as somewhat inadequate and selective....
This is an extract from a review at http://monthlybookgroup.wordpress.com/. Our reviews are also to be found at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.com/
There was some discussion of what type of book it was. It was not a travel book. Moore did not give any insight into the France through which he was travelling; indeed his Little England caricature view of the French was somewhat overdone.
As well as being a personal diary of experiences, Moore’s book’s wider remit was as a history of the Tour De France. Even in this respect the research was seen as somewhat inadequate and selective....
This is an extract from a review at http://monthlybookgroup.wordpress.com/. Our reviews are also to be found at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.com/
January 24, 2019
Moore is clearly a madman but he's also a very funny travel writer who, despite (initial) unfitness, inexperience and incredible naivete, takes us on his personal Tour de France. For some reason he decides to emulate the world's most arduous sporting event -- and achieves it. That he pushes and punishes himself through 3,000km and still manages to make the reader laugh is testament to his abilities in the saddle and on the keyboard. French Revolutions is not an unqualified success: some of his sentences are as overlong and wobbly as the terrifying Alpine climbs in the second half of the book but the self-deprecating tone, sharp observations and sparkling, witty phrases win you over.
April 12, 2009
I was very disappointed in this book. I never found it funny. I never cared about Moore's progress. There was very little interesting in the way of description of the countryside or the cities. The only interesting part was a bit of the Tour history.
I registered this book on www.bookcrossing.com then "released" it on the Lochside Trail during Bike To Work Week. By this afternoon it had disappeared so now it is "traveling".
I registered this book on www.bookcrossing.com then "released" it on the Lochside Trail during Bike To Work Week. By this afternoon it had disappeared so now it is "traveling".
May 4, 2009
A good story about a self-proclaimed non-cyclist (I think he said that he writes for a cycling magazine so I'm not so sure?) who cycled the Tour de France route 6 weeks before the real thing.
It's certainly not all about the cycling; there are many humourous observations about people and places too.
Overall, a book I enjoyed and would recommend, especially if you're getting in to long distance cycling as it's mildly inspirational.
It's certainly not all about the cycling; there are many humourous observations about people and places too.
Overall, a book I enjoyed and would recommend, especially if you're getting in to long distance cycling as it's mildly inspirational.
September 22, 2012
This was just what I needed, and just what I didn't expect it to be. It was hilarious from start to finish with a truly British sense of humor and way of seeing the world. I loved it and immediately looked up Tim Moore in the library catalog to see if he'd written anything else - he had, lots.
EDIT: Don't let the absence of the letter U fool you. I'm an ex-pat Brit living in the belly of the beast and therefore am perfectly entitled to make subjective judgements on all things "Bridish".
EDIT: Don't let the absence of the letter U fool you. I'm an ex-pat Brit living in the belly of the beast and therefore am perfectly entitled to make subjective judgements on all things "Bridish".
January 21, 2013
Really enjoyable read. Would have been even better if I had understood the French language bits, and there are more than a few anglocentric jokes and references, but if you are a cyclists and have ever contemplated doing something crazy on your bike, this is the book to either convince you to go for it - or to totally discourage from doing so. And I have to say, I loved the ending!
January 15, 2011
tim moore isn't for everyone and i know he hams it up a bit, but l like his disorganized and poorly prepared approach to everything he does. He is often compared to Bill Bryson, but i find him a lot less twee. Perhaps a foul mouthed Bill Bryson would be more accurate.
July 28, 2010
Bill Bryson on a bike. Good Tour history and laugh-out-loud stories about how physically challenging the route is for a normal human being.
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