Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

A fascinating and evocative history of the legendary Mont Ventoux—the most daunting and extreme mountainous portion of the Tour de France cycling race.

Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence," is a legendary and extreme mountain climb. The formidable ascent of Ventoux’s south side encapsulates both the unforgiving brutality and epic beauty of this intense sport, but also brings to the forefront cycling’s ongoing battle with scandal. Revealing the little-known history of racing on Ventoux, author Jeremy Whittle interviews such memorable cyclists as Chris Froome, Eddy Merckx, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Bernard Hinault, Dave Brailsford, Tyler Hamilton, and many others, exploring both the fear and respect of those who dare to conquer cycling's most notorious ascent.

The author, who spends some of his year living in the shadow of the Giant, also details the cycling paradise that Ventoux’s foothills have now become, bringing the reader close to the essence of what cycling is all about.

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Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

A fascinating and evocative history of the legendary Mont Ventoux—the most daunting and extreme mountainous portion of the Tour de France cycling race.

Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence," is a legendary and extreme mountain climb. The formidable ascent of Ventoux’s south side encapsulates both the unforgiving brutality and epic beauty of this intense sport, but also brings to the forefront cycling’s ongoing battle with scandal. Revealing the little-known history of racing on Ventoux, author Jeremy Whittle interviews such memorable cyclists as Chris Froome, Eddy Merckx, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Bernard Hinault, Dave Brailsford, Tyler Hamilton, and many others, exploring both the fear and respect of those who dare to conquer cycling's most notorious ascent.

The author, who spends some of his year living in the shadow of the Giant, also details the cycling paradise that Ventoux’s foothills have now become, bringing the reader close to the essence of what cycling is all about.

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Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

by Jeremy Whittle
Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

by Jeremy Whittle

Hardcover

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Overview

A fascinating and evocative history of the legendary Mont Ventoux—the most daunting and extreme mountainous portion of the Tour de France cycling race.

Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence," is a legendary and extreme mountain climb. The formidable ascent of Ventoux’s south side encapsulates both the unforgiving brutality and epic beauty of this intense sport, but also brings to the forefront cycling’s ongoing battle with scandal. Revealing the little-known history of racing on Ventoux, author Jeremy Whittle interviews such memorable cyclists as Chris Froome, Eddy Merckx, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Bernard Hinault, Dave Brailsford, Tyler Hamilton, and many others, exploring both the fear and respect of those who dare to conquer cycling's most notorious ascent.

The author, who spends some of his year living in the shadow of the Giant, also details the cycling paradise that Ventoux’s foothills have now become, bringing the reader close to the essence of what cycling is all about.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781471113000
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication date: 06/20/2017
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Jeremy Whittle is cycling correspondent to The Times and has been writing about European cycling since 1994. He is the acclaimed author of Bad Blood: the Secret Life of the Tour de France and collaborated with David Millar on his best-selling autobiography, Racing Through The Dark. Both books were shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. Jeremy is also a former editor of procycling magazine, a PPA Awards nominee, and has contributed to the BBC, Sky, CNN, L’Équipe and numerous other international media.


 

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

I 13 July 1967 … 3

Part 1

Winter 9

Kilometre Zero 13

Carpe Diem 36

II I first started riding … 49

Foaming at the Mouth 53

III You never forget your first Tour de France … 77

Part 2

Summer 81

IV I was bowled over … 95

Eddy 97

V Eddy's a great rider … 100

VI I love Corsica … 124

Golden Years 127

The Accidental Grand Tourist 132

The Americans 149

Part 3

VII Marseille 195

Gone in 60 Seconds 197

The Light That Never Goes Out 266

VIII White sky above me … 282

Autumn 286

Acknowledgements 289

Bibliography 291

Glossary of Names 295

Index 301

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