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7th out of 86 books
—
48 voters
Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France
by
Richard Moore (Goodreads Author)
The Tour de France is sport's most compelling battle -- an annual cauldron of heroism and treachery, spectacle and controversy, mind-games and endurance.
But the 1986 Tour stands out as the year in which a show-stopping rivalry had spectators across the world gripped.
When Greg LeMond -- a blue-eyed, blonde-haired Californian boy, dubbed 'L'American' -- won the 1986 Tour, he...more
But the 1986 Tour stands out as the year in which a show-stopping rivalry had spectators across the world gripped.
When Greg LeMond -- a blue-eyed, blonde-haired Californian boy, dubbed 'L'American' -- won the 1986 Tour, he...more
Paperback, 283 pages
Published
July 26th 2011
by Yellow Jersey Press
(first published May 26th 2011)
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Really enjoyed this in the end!
For me the book improved - from the part before they joined the same team and the part after!
The part plotting the early lives of Lemond and Hinault didn't really flow, feeling a bit fragmented partly due to the contradictions between those that the author interviewed. Not a surprise i guess and actually demonstrates the difficulty of combining 2 biographies about 2 very different people into one book.
Then they came together, and not only did the story flow but I...more
For me the book improved - from the part before they joined the same team and the part after!
The part plotting the early lives of Lemond and Hinault didn't really flow, feeling a bit fragmented partly due to the contradictions between those that the author interviewed. Not a surprise i guess and actually demonstrates the difficulty of combining 2 biographies about 2 very different people into one book.
Then they came together, and not only did the story flow but I...more
Flew through this book. Well written, thoroughly (and thoughtfully) researched and most importantly a fair and balanced account of a most controversial (greatest ever) Tour de France.
With all the recent ugliness surrounding professional cycling, it was refreshing to get back to the sport's roots. Moore also does a great job incorporating historical context throughout the book both regarding the years before and after the focus of the book.
I do have to nitpick two things however.
1. At least half...more
With all the recent ugliness surrounding professional cycling, it was refreshing to get back to the sport's roots. Moore also does a great job incorporating historical context throughout the book both regarding the years before and after the focus of the book.
I do have to nitpick two things however.
1. At least half...more
The title doesn't mean much to people who aren't (relative to regular people) deep into road racing history and would know that "the badger" is Bernard Hinault, who won the Tour de France five times. The sub-title however makes the subject somewhat more clear: "Greg LeMond, Bernard Hinault and the greatest Tour de France" - this book ponders what Hinault meant when he seemed to promise that after winning his fifth Tour in 1985, he would work in 1986 to help LeMond win his first. (A problem with...more
It's hard to imagine a more 'explosive' start to a book about a rivalry between two of the greatest cyclists than the story of LeMond heading back to the team bus with diarrhoea only to find the portaloo removed and instead having to take an enormous shit in a large box of promotional postcards bearing his rivals face – literally shitting on Hinault himself! Brilliant!
What follows is Richard Moore's exhaustively researched story of the 1986 Tour de France battle between Greg LeMond and Bernard H...more
What follows is Richard Moore's exhaustively researched story of the 1986 Tour de France battle between Greg LeMond and Bernard H...more
A great read for hard core cycling fans that love the tour de france. Chronicles the entry into the Tour of Americans who can win races and the tour and focuses on the conflict between Hinault and Lemond.
As a young racer Greg Lemond was my idol, an american who could beat the French at their game. He went to France and won the Tour De France just before the serious doping entered the sport. the book chronicles lemonds entry into the Peleton and signing with La Vie Claire, and the first tour tha...more
As a young racer Greg Lemond was my idol, an american who could beat the French at their game. He went to France and won the Tour De France just before the serious doping entered the sport. the book chronicles lemonds entry into the Peleton and signing with La Vie Claire, and the first tour tha...more
As much as the Damned United can be read as a book about industrial relations this is a story of complex colleague relationships. Painted by many as a simple story of a broken promise, Moore reveals a complex relationship between the master and the not-so-apprentice in Hinault and LeMond. Drawing on a range of interesting interviews with key actors in this relationship, not least the main protagonists themselves, Slaying the Badger is a compelling and though provoking read. Far from backing one...more
The Badger, or Le Blaireau, was the nickname given to Bernard Hinault, five-times winner of the Tour de France, and the man on whom French cycling’s hopes rested for the whole period of his dominance of that race, and of the northern European classic races. The book focuses on the 1986 TdF, which saw the end of Hinault’s ownership of the race, and the splash made by American Greg Lemond. If Lemond and the Americans who came in his wake were to be the future of the TdF in some way – culminating i...more
Well-researched and well-written. I knew a little bit about the 1986 Tour and the dynamic between LeMond and Hinault. In cycling, there are stories, then there are stories behind the stories. This book gives us a glimpse at some of the stories behind the stories, and also has some fun photos from the late 1970s through mid-1980s.
If you like the Tour, especially in the pre-EPO era, then consider this book.
If you like the Tour, especially in the pre-EPO era, then consider this book.
Most people who pick up this book will already be fairly familiar with the back story and with many of the characters involved. That said, Richard Moore's attempt to understand the motivations and true natures of LeMond and Hinault will shed new light for everyone. Additionally, his conversations with and descriptions of some of the others involved in the story, from enigmatic to 'Kooky', were also enlightening.
Great book! For cyclists and fans of the Tour, this book is a must! Well written, well researched, and well sourced and I appreciated the pictures; what more do you want! Couldn't put it down! End of an era, a best Tour, and maybe the best, for many reasons--two legendary figures Hinault and Lemond, and, in light of the-EPO era and Armstrong 7-Tour stripping, a race to revisit and remember!
Superb biography of Hinault and LeMond. Written with verve and pace. Interviews with all the key players. A well-balanced account of the 1986 Tour de France and the rivalry between these two fascinating cyclists who were on the same team. The question it attempts to answer is: was Hinalut competing with LeMond?
Captures the emotion, drama, rivalry and tension of one of the greatest cycling races. There is so much to cycling I didn't know about and so many great sportsmen I have yet to read about. This book definitely ticked both the boxes. Great read.
YES! Generally I don't love sport related books, but this was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! The ego clashes, and on road drama were gripping. Seriously get yourself a copy and read it preferably when the Tour de France is on.
This is just coming out and I am still reading it but already quite an extraordinary prologue either my imagination is too good or the writing is making it too real but what a start!!
Absolutely fantastic read. Struggled when I had to put it down because it was so compelling. If you love bike racing this is for you.
Good read, have to say 2nd Richard Moore book I read and very enjoyable. Puts all the facts in an easy to read book.
Very interesting story, but the section about the '86 tour was a bit jumbled. Worth the read, however. 3.5/5
I like cycling but I'm don't really follow the sport. This was really interesting to me.
A vivid account of two great sportsmen written by one the UK's best sports journalists.
Un coup de panache! Maillot jaune!
Moore a fait une histoire exceptionnelle du Tour de France 1986. Recommandé à tous!
Moore a fait une histoire exceptionnelle du Tour de France 1986. Recommandé à tous!
I always read a tour de France book during the tour de France. This is OK.
More enjoyable if you're familiar with bicycle racing, the personalities and the times. First 160 pages extensively develop the personalities. Then the book gets interesting with the 1986 Tour.
It's a good book, but way too long. It's a thorough account, but too thorough for my liking.
There was a clash of personalities between these two men, as there often are in any competition. But for me, far too much was made of it to be interesting.
However, the tales of the men and their achievements and the races are good reading.
There was a clash of personalities between these two men, as there often are in any competition. But for me, far too much was made of it to be interesting.
However, the tales of the men and their achievements and the races are good reading.
About as good as it gets for sports writing about cycling, which is to say that most writing on this topic is abysmal. This I found enjoyable.
Took me back to watching my 1st and 2nd Tour De France races. An enlightening look at the character of two of the most recognizable cyclists of the day! If you are a long time cycling fan, well worth the time.
Being only 6 years old when the race occurred and not getting into pro cycling until the Armstrong era, it was an entertaining read to hear how the first (and now perhaps only, though I dont' agree) great American cyclist won the Tour de France against a unique person like Hinault.
Hinault is a true paradox and LeMond still a hero
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Jun 15, 2013
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Richard Moore is a freelance journalist and author. His first book, In Search of Robert Millar (HarperSport), won Best Biography at the 2008 British Sports Book Awards. His second book, Heroes, Villains & Velodromes (HarperSport), was long-listed for the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year.
He is also the author of Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France...more
More about Richard Moore...
He is also the author of Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France...more
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Jun 21, 2011 07:14am