Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Review of "The Comeback"

Those who follow my reviews know that while I love to read about all sports, I especially enjoy books on baseball, hockey and boxing.  Now I can add a fourth sport to this short list: cycling.  Between Tyler Hamilton's memoirs and this outstanding book on Greg LeMond, I am finding books on cycling just as compelling as the other three.  Here is my review of "The Comeback."


Title/Author:
The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France” by Daniel de Visè
Tags:
Cycling, biography, history, performance enhancing drugs
Publish date:
June 5, 2018

Length:
432 pages
Rating: 
5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)
Review:
Greg LeMond woke up the American sporting public to the Tour de France with his upset victory in the 1986 race.  Three years later, after his career nearly ended due to injuries suffered in a shooting accident during a hunting trip, he again won the race by eight seconds over Frenchman Laurent Fignon. The final stage of the race is the starting point of this terrific book by Daniel de Visè.

While the book primarily tells the story of LeMond’s life and career, the reader will learn much about other prominent cycling athletes. The reader will learn why LeMond chose cycling for his sport (he wanted to compete in sports where “I could accomplish something myself without having to depend on others”), the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of a family member and how he became the voice of “clean” racers when the doping culture of the sport became more prominent in the age of erythropoietin (EPO) and later “mechanical doping” in which a small machine would aid a cyclist with his speed.

Of course, the book delves into the fall of Lance Armstrong and Greg’s interactions, both the good and the bad, with the fallen star. It made for great reading, as it almost felt like a soap opera, as Armstrong first was counting on LeMond’s advice on the life of a professional cyclist, then later as the doping accusations became louder, Armstrong nearly destroyed LeMond’s life, including the public revelation of Greg being a victim of abuse.  While much of this material is available in other books, this account felt like a very intimate and personal version.  This was just one example of the outstanding writing that was on display throughout the book.

The story of Fignon is just as compelling in this book as is LeMond’s as their lives seemed to move along parallel paths. Like Greg, Laurent had his own demons and had to come back from a serious injury.  The 1989 Tour de France was the signature race of his comeback, just like LeMond, only with a different result. The reader feels both LeMond’s joy and Fignon’s agony in this result throughout the book as the results affected both men for the rest of their lives.

The strategy of tour racing, how teams work to ensure that their strongest rider will have a chance for victory and the cutthroat nature of the sport are all on display in sections about the races. The description of the peloton, or pack of riders, and what goes on in that mass of bikes and humans, was very compelling and I enjoyed learning just how important a role the peloton plays in the strategy for riders during a race.  

No matter the level of knowledge or interest the reader has in cycling, this book is a must read for all sports fans who love a good story of a classic comeback and of the adventures of athletes, both “good” and “bad”.  I have been enjoying books on the sport and this one is certainly one of the best.

I wish to thank Atlantic Monthly Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)

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