Book description
The Tour de France is a world-renowned, almost mythical sporting
competition. Since 1903, participants have battled not just with each
other but also with the terrain, mechanical hindrances, the occasional
sadism of the organisers and even with the fans. The demands on the
riders are so great that the achievements and rivalries of those
involved have passed into sporting legend. Recently, however, the event
has been tarnished by the institutionalised doping of some riders and
teams. As a result, the authenticity of these very achievements and
rivalries has been called into doubt. To find out whether an
increasingly sceptical public could once again laud the exploits of the
past century with conviction, club cyclist Paul Howard set out to
complete the Tour - in the year of its 100th anniversary - on level
terms with today's riders. But, instead of teammates, mechanics and
possibly the contents of the local pharmacy as support, he had a handful
of friends, his dad and a sense of humour to see him through. With only
three weeks to complete over 2,000 miles, was it possible to put a human
face on a super-human undertaking? Could a fan's homage to past glories
help the Tour regain its place as one of the world's most admired
sporting challenges? Riding High is Howard's diary of his experiences as
he rides the Tour de France route from start to finish, setting off each
day only hours before the professionals, at each stage sharing anecdotes
and noting the historical highpoints that have made the Tour one of the
most iconic sporting events in the world. Paul Howard is a journalist
and has contributed to cycling magazines and the national press on a
variety of cycling-related themes. He has been a keen cyclist since he
was a schoolboy and recently spent a year living and racing as an
amateur in France. He currently lives in West Sussex with his wife and
daughter.
