{"product_id":"anquetil-alone-the-legend-of-the-controversial-tour-de-france-champion-9781781257326","title":"Anquetil, Alone: The Legend of the Controversial Tour de France Champion","description":"\u003cb\u003eShortlisted for the Sports Book Awards 2018 for Biography of the Year and Cycling Book of the Year \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eThere are things he does alone, and things that he alone does.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJacques Anquetil was a cyclist with an aristocratic demeanor and a relaxed attitude to rules and morals. His womanising and frank admissions of doping appalled 1960s French society, even as his five Tour de France wins enthralled it. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePaul Fournel was besotted with him from the start (\"Too young to understand, I was nevertheless old enough to admire\") and followed Anquetil's career with the passion of a fan and the eye of a poet. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this stunningly original biography of a complex and divisive character, Fournel - author of the seminal \u003ci\u003eV lo\u003c\/i\u003e (or \u003ci\u003eNeed for the Bike\u003c\/i\u003e)- blends the story of Anquetil's life with scenes from his own, to create a classic of cycling literature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePaul Fournel\u003c\/b\u003e is a French writer, poet, publisher and cultural ambassador. He was awarded the Prix Goncourt for short fiction for Les Athlètes dans leur tête. His Besoin de Vélo (translated into English as Need for the Bike and Vélo) is a classic cycling text, in which he describes himself as the Proust of the chute. \u003ci\u003eAnquetil, Alone\u003c\/i\u003e is translated by \u003cb\u003eNick Caistor\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ips - Profile Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50434624258322,"sku":"9781781257326","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d4f9c500-d249-4a9c-9e5f-5747113f1439.jpg?v=1729605550","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/anquetil-alone-the-legend-of-the-controversial-tour-de-france-champion-9781781257326","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}