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Rough Ride
by
Paul Kimmage
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Paul Kimmage's boyhood dreams were of cycling glory—wearing the yellow jersey, cycling the Tour de France, and becoming a national hero. He knew it wouldn't come easy, but he was prepared to put in the work—he spent his teenage years cycling an average of 400 miles per week. The dedication began to pay off. As an amateur, he r...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 28th 2008
by Yellow Jersey Press
(first published August 15th 1991)
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Irishman Paul Kimmage is not going to be winning any awards for writing any time. However, this was book was an enthralling page turner about the life of an obscure professional cyclist in the mid-1980s.
Kimmage rode the Tour de France three times and the Giro once. He details each stage of each tour. But most interesting to me was the behind the scenes look at the rather unglamorous and frankly dangerous life of a professional domestique.
Racing in the rain, snow and sle...more
Kimmage rode the Tour de France three times and the Giro once. He details each stage of each tour. But most interesting to me was the behind the scenes look at the rather unglamorous and frankly dangerous life of a professional domestique.
Racing in the rain, snow and sle...more
A captivating story about professional cycling from the perspective of an average (though way more talented than the rest of us), yet passionate, rider.
This book is a behind-the-scenes view of cycling, one about what it was/is really like to race in big events like the Tour de France. The reality is harsh, as reality tends to be, and is a relief from the usual stories that focus only on the excitement, glamour, and prestige. But it is also heartbreaking. I will still enjoy watching ...more
This book is a behind-the-scenes view of cycling, one about what it was/is really like to race in big events like the Tour de France. The reality is harsh, as reality tends to be, and is a relief from the usual stories that focus only on the excitement, glamour, and prestige. But it is also heartbreaking. I will still enjoy watching ...more
Rough Ride is a bumpy read. The description of Kimmage's experiences as a cyclist end up interwined with his crusade against doping in professional road racing. His repeating the same analysis and conclusions over and over again doesn't make it more (or less) true and it eventually makes the book a drudge to read.
This edition has an epilogue added in 1998 and another in 2006. The added material is almost entirely focused on doping (or anti-doping). He says Floyd Landis' being cau...more
This edition has an epilogue added in 1998 and another in 2006. The added material is almost entirely focused on doping (or anti-doping). He says Floyd Landis' being cau...more
In high school, I wanted to become a professional cyclist. Little did I know how corrupt the system was and how it was generally expected of you to take performance-enhancing drugs.
Not to win, but to survive.
Rough Ride is an easy read, a page turner. It's not the most well-written book, but it's informative and reads a bit like a diary.
Not to win, but to survive.
Rough Ride is an easy read, a page turner. It's not the most well-written book, but it's informative and reads a bit like a diary.
I found this to be quite an eye opener about the sport of cycling in the 80's. His story telling is a little rough, but the true story comes through. I also can feel his angst and bitterness in his recounting his tale. The story may have had a much better impact if he could have got over his anger when he wrote his account.
I haven't read this book in a while, but was reminded of it with the recent positive test in the Tour de France.Kimmage talks about drug use back when testing was pretty much non existent.After every stage the team doctor would give the riders injections,telling them they were vitamin b-12,which they obviously weren't.I wonder if any of those riders suffered long term affects.
Kimmage was a domestique,the worker bees of pro racing.They're the ones that go back to the team car to get water,f...more
Kimmage was a domestique,the worker bees of pro racing.They're the ones that go back to the team car to get water,f...more
Really enjoyed this. Still aroused my love of cycling while uncovering the real truths of a broken sport. Kimmages initial enthusiasm is as obvious as his eventual cynacism. Some nice moments during his career, particularly enjoyed some of the memories of times with Roche and Kelly. I was a little disappointed that in the sections added for the new edition that he had no comments on Pantani (probably the greatest tragedy in cycling in recent times) or on the persistent suspicions hanging over Ar...more
A little winey
Interesting, if rather bitter and at times, bleak portrayal of life as a domestique in the peloton of the late-80s.
As someone's who's relatively new to the World of pro-cycling, Paul Kimmage's book should've have been a revelation, but the tales he tells about the use of drugs throughout are all too familiar.
Kimmage was pilloried for this book when it first came out, but he's been proven to be way ahead of his time; unfortunately, there still seems to be much of the same sort of stuff going on.
Kimmage was pilloried for this book when it first came out, but he's been proven to be way ahead of his time; unfortunately, there still seems to be much of the same sort of stuff going on.
Pissed off with the tour de france ,barry bonds & steroids. Kimmage details his own experiences trying to break into the sport he loved and the choices he faced to become successful.Ostracized because due to the exposures in his book he questioned cyclings ethics long before Landis et al... were caught red handed.
Great book about an Irishmans struggle in the pro European cycling scene. One of the first books to open peoples eyes about the drug problem in cycling.
This book was given to me by a friend when I was 15 years old after I told him I wanted to be a Pro cyclist.
This book was given to me by a friend when I was 15 years old after I told him I wanted to be a Pro cyclist.
Kimmage comes across as bitter, though provides a good insight into pro cycling in the mid- to late-80's. Should be read by any avid cyclist.
I think I read this in 2006 or 2007, when I was getting into cycling a bit more. I definitely read it at a similar time to 'The Death of Marco Pantani' (Rough Ride is better)
I think I read this in 2006 or 2007, when I was getting into cycling a bit more. I definitely read it at a similar time to 'The Death of Marco Pantani' (Rough Ride is better)
Steve
is currently reading it
I wanted to read this book after the fiery exchange between the writer and Lance Armstrong at the Tour of California pre-race press conference (YouTube "Armstrong" and "Kimmage"). The book is groundbreaking in the sense that Kimmage describes drug use in the peloton for the first time. However, this book was written in the 80's and nowadays riders have moved past cheating with "just" amphetamines and caffeine tablets. EPO, hormones, and blood doping ruled the 90's a...more
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