Speed Read Tour de France

written by John Wilcockson published by Motorbooks

You know a lot about the Tour de France, right? But did you know that Tour uses drones to film castles and churches ahead of time? Drones can’t be used for live broadcast. Did you know Fausto Coppi’s blind soigneur, Biagio Cavanna, was a leader in training and nutrition? I didn’t. John Wilcockson’s Speed read tour de france is a breezy look at road cycling’s most important event. It can bring a novice up to speed quickly, and deepen a longtime fan’s knowledge of La Grande Boucle and road racing in general. One quibble I have is with Wilcockson’s definition of ebike. In one of the book’s many glossaries, he equates an ebike with a road bike that has been rigged with motor in order to cheat. I think ebike is a much broader and more neutral term. Throughout Speed read tour de france, there is some repetition of facts and figures. I feel that’s OK. If you’re cruising through the pages, it doesn’t hurt to get reminded of key TDF knowledge. Then you’ll be able to deploy those facts on friends later, without the help of the book.— MP