Wide-eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France

by Jeff Connor

In 1987, the Tour was won by Irishman Stephen Roche. It was the first time the champion had hailed from outside the Continent or the States and the first time in 20 years a British team—ANC Halfords—had competed in the world's toughest and craziest race. Jeff Connor, on assignment there as a newspaper reporter, not only stayed with the British team but also found himself an unofficial team member, driving, sorting out hotel rooms, packing, and unpacking. In this long-awaited new edition of Wide-Eyed and Legless , now widely regarded as a classic of cycling literature, Connor describes in detail what it takes to compete, survive, and win during those 26 days of grueling effort in the name of sport. Alongside the heroism and athleticism, he reveals the extraordinary amounts of chicanery, from pulling riders along to illicit drug use. Time has not dimmed the impact of this eye-opening and entertaining close-up look at the supreme endurance event that is the Tour de France, and Wide-Eyed and Legless is destined to be acclaimed by a whole new generation of cycling enthusiasts.

Genres: Cycling, Nonfiction, Sports, Audiobook

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jacqui N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written by a newspaper reporter who was given permission to travel with the team -- ANC/Halford, the first British team to participate in the Tour de France. There is a day-to-day summation of the day's events and current drama/crisis, and a brief synopsis of each day's race. This race was a first for all of the ANC riders, as well as for most of their sponsors and support crew. A learning experience for all, the riders either found their niche or abandoned, and unfortunately the same was true for some members of the support staff and vehicles! I don't know about this being the No. 1 cycling book of all time...perhaps at the time it was written it was groundbreaking to experience a complete tour from the inside. As I read through this, I found myself wanting a similar book written by someone who was an insider on a more solid, experienced team on the tour...where the majority of the riders were not in survival mode, the support team running like a well oiled machine, and to be present when more strategy and solid tactics are discussed among more accomplished riders. That being said, I found this account of the British team's travails an entertaining and fast read. Especially enjoyable were the tidbits of race culture such as the "etiquette" amongst the team cars as they jockeyed or literally fought for position behind the riders, slinging lagging riders along, the final sprint wheeling and dealing, the reluctance of riders to walk any distance for any reason when off the bike, and so on. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in cycling as a sport, informative as well as fun.

[Lance H Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book was OK. Not better than that.

I was told that this was the best bicycling book ever written. Well, I guess bicycling books must be very poorly written because this book was not very good. I would not have minded if the author was just a poor writer. But it goes further than that. Run on sentences and grammatical errors abound in this poorly written tome. It did not foreshadow what was to become of the tour a decade later with the arrival of the dopers. Connor did not foresee what was to come. But more importantly he did not report on what most certainly going on during the tour on which he reported. I say this because several riders failed their drug tests during this tour and Connor did not see any reason to discuss it other than to mention it in passing. That would make him part of the problem. Very sad.

[Chris Rando · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 10th cycling book of the year and it's: Formulaic. Journalist follows his country's pro team through TDF, posts results, little blackground about the team's origin, staff, riders. Not terribly insightful, funny, exciting, memorable, probably owing to its age (now 35 years on) and the lack of decent cycling tomes from that era.

Got that all-important third star for not being Moore's _French Revolutions._

[Lizzie Worrall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a funny read! I love cycling and the Tour so this slightly nostalgic look back was something I enjoyed. It is definitely 'light', written before the doping allegations of the 90s and 2000s came to light, and for a journalist to have written it, it would be a "puff piece" rather than investigative. Funny and nostalgic all the same!

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

7 A good insight into the world of professional cycling although dated. I am always a sucker when it comes to begins the scenes types of book and this does not disappoint. ANC Halford representing the UK. ”An American in Paris , indeed.”

[Liam Kingsley]

An extremely entertaining, light read with elucidating vignettes about the Tour of the late 1980s, but I sometimes found myself wishing it would dig a bit deeper. Delightful all the same.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb on the cover says, "The No. 1 Cycling Book of All Time" (according to Cycle Sport magazine). Well, that is a little extreme - it is certainly high up on the list for readable books about the Tour de France or professional bicycle racing, but it also has certain technical drawbacks . . .

This book was originally published in 1988 and described the Tour race of 1987 - the author was a journalist and the British race team, ANC-Halfords, agreed to let him be with the team full time to cover the race. This was ANC-Halfords first (and last) participation in the Tour de France and they weren't really ready for the race - they didn't have good enough riders and they didn't have good enough financial (and therefore technical) support. The team ended up letting Connor drive some of their vehicles because they ran out of people to do so - his perspective is more like that of a technical support person than a journalist.

And in fact, his being so much a part of an unsuccessful team is the main drawback of the book, if one is looking for a description of how a team works to win or compete in the Tour. ANC-Halfords lost three riders not too far into the race (and only four riders finished out of nine) so they rarely had anything like strategy or tactics - they didn't have the riders.

On the other hand, the writing if good and it can be amusing to read an account of a failed effort, too, if it is done right, and this mostly is.

Apparently since there is greater interest in the Tour de France, in particular British riders, a publisher in the UK decided to republish a new edition in 2011. There is a short new foreward but otherwise it is the same as the 1988 edition.

[Iain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Half narrative from an insider's perspective of the troubled ANC-Halfords team and half race report of the 1987 Tour, this book is trapped between the two: neither a gripping race commentary nor roller coaster emotional insight into the struggles of the combatants and team members.
Covering one of the more memorable tour years and one of the more inglorious teams, it promised a good yarn yet I was simply left without much benefit for reading it.

[The Master · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brought back great memories of the 1987 Tour.

Can't help but feel that the author held back the juicier details from behind the scenes at ANC-Halfords. Team staff drift in and out of the picture without much explanation why, or what impact their arrival/departure had. Then again, the author made clear that he wasn't a tabloid pig and presented the facts as objectively as possible. It's too bad because the ANC adventure of 1987 was perfect for the Gonzo approach.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating read, about first Brit team to do Tour de France. They were so disorganised! It is hard to reconcile that with both the approach and success record of Team Sky. Connor was there as journalist and ended up being enlisted to help the team, as so many support crew bit the dust - as did riders.

[Janne Typpi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff Connor seurasi brittiläisen ANC-Halfords-tallin matkaa vuoden 1987 kilpailussa. Talli ei kuulunut ennakkosuosikkeihin ja yhdeksästä ajajasta lopulta vain neljä selvisi maaliin saakka. Kiva ja sympaattinen kirja ajalta, jona ammattilaispyöräily oli nykyistä vaatimattomampaa, viattomampaa ja legendaarisempaa.

[Peter Nuttall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Supposed to be the "best cycling book ever"... but left me a bit cold.

[Peter Nuttall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit disappointed with this... probably because I already new the story of ANC's disastrous Tour de France campaign. Not as funny as I had expected.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although dated, interesting inside the ropes view if the Tour de France.

[Goody2shoes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, & very funny in places.

Jeff, as a novice rider, did you 'really' cycle that tour stage on one of the teams race bikes?

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read many books on cycling and this has to be one of the best 'behind the scenes' accounts of a pro tour team at the Tour.

[Shawn Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Be a fan of cycling and know the terminology before reading this book. Bleh.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account of ANC Halfords ill fated 1987 Tour de France. Not quite 'the No.1 cycling book of all time' as the cover would suggest.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite bike book.