Champion

The inevitable comparisons are legion now that Lance Armstrong has won his sixth (and last?) Tour De France this past July. The past winners were all manifested again during the summer of 2004 with the same predictable results...Eddy Merckz was the "cannibal", the merciless killer among the past 5 time winners...Bernard Hineault was the silent assasin, the least likely looking winner, but perhaps the meanest cycler who ever lived...Jaques Anquetil was the elegant talent, the one who modernized world class cycling in the 60's and of course Armstrong, who is still really establishing his legacy. Who, then is this Miguel Indurain and what "category" does he fit into? Samuel Abt tries to define Indurain's place in history with "Champion: Bicycle Riding in the Age of Indurain". The problem, of course, is that this work was published in 1993 and Indurain still had much more to say on the cycling front. Abt's story is one that I'd sort of compare to the early Roger Angell works on baseball...a set of diverse observations that pertain to the main event...in this case the 1991 and 1992 Tour De France. Abt descibes both races and certainly suceeds in fitting this race into the context of that day...Indurian, like Armstrong 10 years later, is the man to beat and all others, although interesting, will become mere shadows when viewed in Tour history. The reader gets all angles of world class cycling as Abt describes the growing Indurian myth and how Miguel is slowly replacing American Greg LeMond as the celebrity of the cycling world. We also hear from the less talented riders as Abt talks about their chances as well as how the economy is affecting the team structure in the early 90's. Indeed of all the teams that competed in the 1992 Tour, only the Lotto-Domo Belgian team still competed in the 2004 Tour (Indurian's Banesto team is now Illearas-Banesto). Abt's descriptions and commentary border on brilliance as he succeeds in presenting a human picture to the world class cycling world and brings to the literay world the only true historical treatment of the brilliant Indurain that can be found (the Armstrong books by comparison, past and future, overwhelm the published books on Indurain). Abt's work is also timed to descibe the end of Greg Lemond's reign as the American Champion and the book ends with a portent of the future with "The First Lance" chapter wherby he descibes the young Armstrong and gives glowing predictions of Armstrong's future. A work that true cycling fans should undertake (Abt does not attempt and does not succeed in clearing up the complex and at times maddening strategy pertaining to Tour riding) and one that sort of sets the stage for the Armstrong on-slaught, Sam Abt brings a truely worthy and capable champion to light and in the process elevates world class cycling to the level soon realized in the early 2000's.

A good read for anyone who followed cycling in the late 80s and 90s. This makes the struggle of stage racing a very human experience - what an incredible talent Indurain was!

Essential information for Indurain enthusiasts giving insights into the early Tour victories of the great champion. Also provides interesting glimpses into the personality of one of the more enigmatic figures in cycling history. Noteworthy too for its sidebar coverage of Grag LeMond, whose career was begining it's decline when Indurain's Tour dominance began.

This book captured the quiet, contemplative nature of Miguel Indurain, the 90's most dominant Tour de France rider, very well. Also it played out the backroom drama of "Le Tour". For any cycle racing fan, a must read.