This anthology encompasses a quarter-century’s worth of stories about the unique and fascinating sport of racing by one of the world’s most awarded cycling journalists.
I have always enjoyed Samuel Abt’s articles on cycling in the International Herald-Tribune, so figuring out that I would enjoy his collection of articles in Off to the Races didn’t require a great leap of faith. Still, I’m not sure I could have guessed that I’d enjoy it quite as much as I did.
Mr. Abt’s keen eye and feel for words rarely produce spectacular results but they almost always capture the heart of the subject they are examining. What I didn’t expect was the way reading all of these essays as a collection would work together to create a larger picture, the way that some talented designers can take a collection of paintings or magazine covers and organize them in such a way that they create a unique portrait when viewed from an appropriate distance.
The portrait this collection produces spans a 25-year period that starts with the tail end of the career of Eddy Merckx and ending well into the era of its most recent star, Lance Armstrong. Giants of the sport such as Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Francesco Moser, Sean Kelly, Claudio Ciapucci, Laurent Fignon, Bernard Hinault, Chris Boardman, Jan Ullrich, Mario Cipollini and the late Marco Pantani are presented as Mr. Abt saw them at the time, and not with the sometimes distorting benefit of hindsight.
Add to that a host of profiles of other would-be champions, flash-in-the-pan talents, and colorful racers and you have a collection of articles that belongs on any cycling fan’s bookshelf.
Related Reading:
The Death of Marco Pantani: A BiographyCyclist Marco Pantani’s death is one of the most tragic events in recent sports history. After winning both the Tour de France and the Giro d’Ital... Read More >
Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic ChampionMarco Pantani won the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia in the same year, 1998, a feat previously achieved only by giants of the sport like Eddy Merckx... Read More >
Cycling - Philosophy for Everyone: A Philosophical Tour de ForceCovering interesting and varied philosophical terrain, Cycling - Philosophy for Everyone explores in a fun but critical way the rich philosophical, ... Read More >
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