http://www.amazon.com/Rider-Tim-Krabbe/dp/1582342903
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/4157AR2YR9L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

This book is cool. Anyone else read it? I guess it's fiction, but it's essentially a French amateur race report, with injections of related cycling trivia. A nightmare for Botto: 147 page race report. It could only be worse if it had a couple power files.

The book was originally written in French, I believe, so some of the culture doesn't quite translate. It's from 1978, but so much of it applies perfectly in 2007. It's amazing how he captures the emotion of racing a bicycle. A friend loaned me the book. It's short and easy to read (other than the foreign names). I think I read it in about 4 hours.

I transcribed a bit of it here:


Kilometer 32-34. Seven plus two is nine [ed.: off the front]. Still, I'm not climbing badly, that amazes me every time. It hurts, but it's also sort of nice. Heavy labor you can handle, carrying a pile of pouffes up to your girlfriend's new apartment.

Keep the steer steady, going slow here. The way I see it, your handlebars move forward, and you just have to make sure you don't let go. You need strong arms for that. I view my wrists, stretched out in front of me to the bars, straight as ramrods. They've become so tanned, almost black in the wrinkles. The little hairs lie next to each other in wet rows, pointing away from me. I find my wrists incredibly beautiful.

I climb.

What I can do, no animal can: be the other and admire myself. I hear nothing and see nothing, but I sense that, behind me, one rider after the other is being dropped. I once interviewed an Olympic rower, Jan Wienese. Rowers practice their sport backwards. I asked Wienese whether he was ever afraid, during training sessions for example, of running into something. "No, we have radar for that," he said.

They may have been dropped by the dozen, but I sprinkle my back with the glances of riders behind me. Cool and collected that Krabbe'. Did you see him? Pow-er.

Do my eyes deceive me, or are we gaining a little on Reilhan and Guillaumet?

...

Kilometer 83: The race has entered a new phase, and every thirty seconds my wheel is in the lead, but is this a sensible phase as far as I'm concerned? Aren't I in the process of letting myself be jerked around by Barthelemy again?

I'm the one up pushing in the wind, and that's helping his odds for the third climb. Odds he'll be able to double during the descent. He'll get dumped later on, but perhaps so late that he'll be able to come back after the climb. The further I take him, the greater the chance that the toughest race of the season will be won by a bad climber.

I'm an ***.

This escape has to be made undone. What was stupid at first is now the best thing to do. I drop back to second position and slow down. I stop pedaling. The rider from Cycles Goff misses me taking my turn and looks back, puzzled. The gap is ten meters. I look over my shoulder. When I turn back around, Barthelemy jumps and passes me, very powerfully. He goes right past Cycles Goff, who makes a reflex move to follow, then drops back on his saddle.

Barthelemy is already a hundred meters out in front.

The rider from Cycles Goff lets himself glide back beside me. We look back. We see the four.

"Still too far," I say.

He hesitates for a second, then nods.

"Right, suicide."

We straighten up, drift along, fifteen seconds to breathe just for the fun of it.

I was surprised at how bored I was with it.

I didn't even make it very far into it before putting it aside. Maybe because I tried to read it in season. Bad idea.
To be fair, I'll try reading it again this winter when I'm itching for anything having to do with cycling.

I loved it. Favorite book ever (this year). I believe it Krabbe is Dutch. I've read it at least 3 times since I got it in May. I wonder how much of the trivia in it is true.

I also believe the one word sentence "Correct." came from this book.

I loved it. Favorite book ever (this year). I believe it Krabbe is Dutch. I've read it at least 3 times since I got it in May. I wonder how much of the trivia in it is true.

I also believe the one word sentence "Correct." came from this book.

Yeah...if you do a quick search you will find certain forum members who often suggest this book and I think botto posted links to some of Krabbe's recent race results.

Great read.

I've read it twice now. Good book. Krabbe is a master chess player who apparently raced bikes for a while.

Great book. I've read it at least 5 times.


He has also written "The Vanishing". They have made that into a movie two different times. In the newer one Jeff Bridges is very good at being creepy.

Great book. I've read it at least 5 times.


He has also written "The Vanishing". They have made that into a movie two different times. In the newer one Jeff Bridges is very good at being creepy.

The dutch/french one pwns the american version.

In the original you can even hear commentary of the 84 Tour stage to Alpe d'Huez playing in the background of some of the scenes. Plus the movie is way creepier.

The dutch/french one pwns the american version.

In the original you can even hear commentary of the 84 Tour stage to Alpe d'Huez playing in the background of some of the scenes. Plus the movie is way creepier.


I've heard that about the Euro version. Is it subtitled? Too cool about Alpe d'Huez.

I started reading it but stopped.

I couldn't get past the names; I kept thumbing back to the one page where he explains how several of the main racers were split into two teams to figure out who was working for who. He should have just Anglicized them to Bob, Gary, Ben, etc.

Even if it originally was in Dutch.

Anyone find it strange that he was making such a big deal about saving his climbing gears?

43-19 The gear of champions.

I love the odd thoughts, stuff you can't make up but come to you when you're putting in a full effort.

"Barthelemy's glasses must weigh two kilos"

Anyone find it strange that he was making such a big deal about saving his climbing gears?

On a climb or a TT, I don't find any thought strange. I always end up with some kids' song as an earworm. Like Toody Ta or 5 Little Ducks. Anyone find that strange? ;)

On a climb or a TT, I don't find any thought strange. I always end up with some kids' song as an earworm. Like Toody Ta or 5 Little Ducks. Anyone find that strange? ;)

Damn, I thought that is was only me. I used to get kid show's theme songs stuck in my head.

Does anyone kinda sing along to keep cadence? Actually, what I do is turn my breathing into a drum beat. Kinda like beat-boxing with your breath.

If I joined Cycles Goff this is what I would wear.

I've heard that about the Euro version. Is it subtitled? Too cool about Alpe d'Huez.


I've seen it on TV subtitled, here in Australia. The semi-govt TV multicultural station SBS often subtitles wog movies so the general bogan Australian public can all become culturally aware and sensitive about foreign people and stuff. As you can see in my case, its working. For example, I had dim sims for dinner tonight and spaghetti on toast last night. SBS also show semi-porno european movies on a Friday night, which is a major cultural event IMO. With the really good ones you don't even need to read the subtitles.

I suppose what I am saying is that I don't know if there is a DVD of the original 'The Vanishing' available with subtitles. If there is, get it. Top movie.

Nice jersey there :)

Yeah, that Tooty Ta song is great for a rhythm for breathing and pedaling while admiring my wrists.

Does anyone kinda sing along to keep cadence? Actually, what I do is turn my breathing into a drum beat. Kinda like beat boxing with your breathe.

If I joined Cycles Goff this is what I would wear.

Liked it. Need to read it again. It was fun to get inside the guy's head, but it was better getting back out.

"Non-racers," he writes. "The emptiness of those lives shocks me." Jeebus. :rolleyes:

Liked it. Need to read it again. It was fun to get inside the guy's head, but it was better getting back out.

"Non-racers," he writes. "The emptiness of those lives shocks me." Jeebus. :rolleyes:

Gawd. I cringed when I read that. Maybe it sounds better in Dutch.

"Non-racers," he writes. "The emptiness of those lives shocks me."
Yep one of my favorite all time cycling quotes. Great book, IMHO the best cycling fiction ever written.

Liked it. Need to read it again. It was fun to get inside the guy's head, but it was better getting back out.

"Non-racers," he writes. "The emptiness of those lives shocks me." Jeebus. :rolleyes:

Yes it is over the top. However, when you've dedicated months if not years to something and it consumes you, everything else seems hollow.

I liked "They probably think bike racing is about going fast."

wait a dammngtfh, I thought bike racing was ABOUT going fast. No wonder I always get dropped.

I liked "They probably think bike racing is about going fast."

Absolutely brilliant.

Plus the last bit when the 42 year old masher Lebusque is griping to Krabbe about how the young winner Reilhan didn't take his share of the pulls. Krabbe just nods and thinks to himself, "Lebusque has reached the age of 42 without ever understanding Reilhan, for all his wheel-sucking, is more of a racer than he is, no matter how much he pulls".

Again, brilliant and well composed. Now if the newbies will put away those damn power gadgets and concentrate on learning the art of racing, maybe the cat2-o-meters will start dialing up a bit quicker.

^^^^ :beer:

...though I'm getting a PM this Christmas as I hit 16 years since my first race...

^^^^ :beer:

...though I'm getting a PM this Christmas as I hit 16 years since my first race...


That's okay, a fun training tool is okay, especially for those with true experiences already. Enjoy...

Yeah, I learned how to MTB with a rigid fork and kept up with my racer friends with suspension forks -- then I got a pair of my own. Buh-Bye. :D

Another thing I loved about the book. Gearing.

Back then it was important to choose your gearing correctly for two reasons and I am always fascinated by having the perfect setup of chainrings and cogs.

First reason was because you only had 5 or 6 cogs in the back. The other was the fact that once you started sprinting, you better hope you got the right gear picked due to having downtube shifters.

Near the end of the book, some bystander asks Krabbe what gear he used, because he thinks Krabbe went too early and blew it. Krabbe responds that it was a 15. The bystander says the winner rode a 16 and just followed him until the last moment, basically punking him.

"Golden boys sprint light gears" the bystander says. As in, cagey winners who know how to race.

Near the end of the book, blah blah blah blah blah der blah blah.

You just blew it for me! BLEW IT! How about a spoiler warning eh?

My coach said he used to shift with his knees during a sprint. Wrockets, you're old enough; is it possible to shift that way?

Gawd. I cringed when I read that. Maybe it sounds better in Dutch.

It is my favorite line of the book in English.

You just blew it for me! BLEW IT! How about a spoiler warning eh?

My coach said he used to shift with his knees during a sprint. Wrockets, you're old enough; is it possible to shift that way?

Oops, sorry about that. The book is fantastic and my little mistake won't ruin anything for you. It's the meat of the book and all the little quips that make it so great.

My coach said he used to shift with his knees during a sprint. Wrockets, you're old enough; is it possible to shift that way?

I think I'm too tall. I had to bend my legs so far that I did it with my lower thigh and my knee way out in front. I could do it, but not in a sprint. Certainly a reasonable technique with the right leg-length. Especially with the 7-spd indexed systems I started racing on. You just move your knee really close and see if it hits on that stroke. If not, bring it in a bit for the next stroke until you get the bump.

In some ways, it's better not to be able screw up a perfectly good sprint with a shift :)

I started with 7 speed-downtube-indexed-shifting, like waterrockets. We didn't know any better back then and would just throw it on the 12 and sprint. No knees needed. But what a great trick if you practiced it enough. A lot of sprinters back then were doing the bar end shifters. I hated those things and was already a roadie purist in my first few years, so I stuck wioth the traditions.

Fantastic book. The only true cycling literature that I have come across.

After 3 reads, the book has taken up permenant residence on my toilet. It's always good for a quick one-liner. Here's my fav quote to date;

---------------------------------------
Velvet pillows, safari parks, sunglasses: people have become woolly mice. They still have bodies that can walk for five days and four nights through a desert of snow, without food, but they accept praise for having taken a one-hour bicycle ride. 'Good for you.' Instead of expressing their gratitude for the rain by getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
---------------------------------------


Mark

---------------------------------------
Velvet pillows, safari parks, sunglasses: people have become woolly mice. They still have bodies that can walk for five days and four nights through a desert of snow, without food, but they accept praise for having taken a one-hour bicycle ride. 'Good for you.' Instead of expressing their gratitude for the rain by getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.
---------------------------------------


Mark

Brilliant again...

The whole book is amazing. One of my all time favorites.

To address the gearing issue - if you'll recall he's thinking back to famous riders, and quotations he's read about them. "His 19 was clean." He wants to emulate his heroes, he wants to ride in their wheeltracks, if you will...

I guess if you hate good writing and bike racing, the book probably isn't for you.

I started reading it but stopped.

I couldn't get past the names; I kept thumbing back to the one page where he explains how several of the main racers were split into two teams to figure out who was working for who. He should have just Anglicized them to Bob, Gary, Ben, etc.

Even if it originally was in Dutch.

Anyone find it strange that he was making such a big deal about saving his climbing gears?

i hear ya'. ever read any history? like the european stuff? napoleans and wilhelms all over the place - a nitemare! and i hate them old B&W movies too. why couldn't they just use colour? yeehaw.

i hear ya'. ever read any history? like the european stuff? napoleans and wilhelms all over the place - a nitemare! and i hate them old B&W movies too. why couldn't they just use colour? yeehaw.

I KNOW! And what about those "foreign films" (aka movies you have to read)? Why don't they just speak in English so everyone can understand them?

BTW I've never heard of a Napolean, but I like me a Neapolitan.

"hey-Ho".

One line always comes back to me, when approaching a climb and getting out of the big ring.

"Kr. masters the uphill shift."

http://www.xs4all.nl/~laarmans/tuur/renner/renner.htm

check it out...

'rasher

http://www.xs4all.nl/~laarmans/tuur/renner/renner.htm

check it out...

'rasher

lmao

cool :)

'rasher

Rest In Peace, Joe.

F'n A.