In addition to Floyd Landis’ book, “Positively False,” and David Walsh’s anti-doping book, “Lance to Landis,” here are three other summer reads on cycling:
*”Ascent: The mountains of the Tour de France,” by British author Richard Yates, is a history of the fabled race with a focus on the agonizing climbs and maddeningly fast descents in the Alps and Pyrenees, where champions are made and sometimes defeated.
In the forward, Yates writes:
“The mountains are the most memorable part of the Tour de France—they form the scenic backdrop for most of the dramatic struggles between the rivals and between the riders and the force of nature. For the riders, it’s a question of going to the limits of human endurance. At times, it’s a journey into hell and back, which is why they’ve named them “the witch with green teeth.”
The listed price for the 160-page hardcover book is $29.95. It is published by Van der Plas Publications/Cycle Publishing and is available online at http://www.cyclepublishing.com
This 1952 Photo on the Tourmalet, where only the motorcycle riders could stay with Coppi, is an example of the more than 100 photos in the book.
*“They’ll Never Catch You Now,” by Ralph Hurne is novel about the Tour de France. It is the fictional story of an veteran professional bicycle racer who has his heart set on capturing the leader’s Yellow Jersey - if only for one day - in his last tour.
The 200-page, soft cover book is available online at http://www.cyclepublishing.com
*For a heavier summer read, there is “The Wiki Defense: How the French Lab & US Anti-Doping Agency Bothched Floyd’s Test,” by Dr. Arnie Baker and the Wiki Defense Team.
Baker, the friend and science advisor to Floyd Landis, has assembled and published online more than 300 pages of Landis’ defense to testosterone doping allegations. The electronic book is being billed as the science compliment to Landis’ “Positively False.” The e-book contains more than 60 defense arguments, 150 figures and diagrams, 50 tables, 100 scientific references and 350 footnotes. The list price is $22.95. It is also available in a printed version.
The link to the book is: http://www.arniebakercycling.com/books/wiki.htm
