Uphill Battle

Mountains weren’t added to the Tour de France until 1905. Tour boss Henri Desgrange added them only because a staffer incessantly hounded him until, finally worn down, Desgrange capitulated. At first, the mountains in the Tour de France were the more modest ascents of the Vosges and Alps. In 1910 the Tour added the Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet and the Aubisque, giant Pyrenean climbs. A year later came the high Alps.

The addition of hard climbing transformed the Tour. The men who have the ability to bound up the mountains (the Italians have a special word for these riders: Scattista) have fascinated cycle race fans since that race in 1905. Sometimes they are specialists who can only climb, but do not have the complete set of cycling skills to win the Tour (Rene Vietto, Jose Manuel Fuente and Andy Hampsten are in this category). Others have so much power, are such magnificent athletes that they can climb with the specialists and also time-trial and ride cobbles with equal ease. This group would include Lance Armstrong, Greg LeMond, Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.

Owen Mulholland takes them all on (including episodes from both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France) and tells their stories well. What makes this book a pleasure is that Owen writes as if he were talking to you. His enthusiasm comes across every page. He is a man mad about bikes and bike racing and I love everything he has ever written about the sport.

There are 39 chapters, each about a particular climber and each is a gem. ( )