There was a time in my life (from the mid-80s with the rise of Greg LeMond through the early 2000s and the fall of Lance Armstrong) that I was really into
The Tour de France and pro cycling. I knew all the cyclists and watched the tour as best I could on TV and online. I followed the other big European races and was lucky enough to watch the US Pro Champs here in Philadelphia. I was fascinated by the strategy and how close this race could be. I also knew and understood how difficult it was so doping, while disappointing, also seemed inevitable.

All this to say, I am the perfect audience for this book, I understand the life of a domestique and I really enjoyed being inside Sol’s head. I’m also a distance runner so I understand a little about personal, physical suffering for sports.

I’m not sure how this quiet, slow moving story would work for one who doesn’t already understand this world but for me it was just great. ( )

This book had great potential but left some of the more interesting (in my opinion) subplots un- or under-developed. Better than many of the books I've read this year, but not giving it my whole-hearted, run out to your nearest bookstore or library recommendation. ( )

I grew up in a family that enjoyed bicycling and often the only times our cable package was upgraded was to watch the Tour de France each summer. This novel brings back a lot of those memories. It's narrated by one of the cyclists in the tour, not one of the leaders, but a teammate who is expected to anything to help his leader win, including taking drugs. As the narrator reflects on his life and his family, one starts to think he may be ready to turn over a new leaf in his life, but the stakes just keep getting higher and his wife becomes embroiled in the team's doping activities. An interesting read, that makes one think of all the cycling headlines of the past two decades. ( )

An excellent cycling novel, even better I think than Tim Krabbé's "The Rider". An intelligent, observant cyclist races the Tour de France (in support of his team leader), while contemplating his career and life outside cycling. The writing is great (though occasionally three sentences are used when two would do), the observations perfect and real. The characters aren't quite perfect and the story is wrapped up too easily. ( )

Sol has been a professional cyclist for years but has never achieved any real fame or fortune. His wife, Liz, a geneticist, and their son, Barry, are back home in England while Sol is busy trying to help his teammate, Fabrice, win the Tour De France. In a sport in which some people are willing to cheat their way to victory, Sol is forced to decide what he is willing to risk to get to the top.

For a decent portion of the book, I wasn't really feeling the story or characters but by the end I came to appreciate how it ended up being a bit different from what I normally read. While I enjoy most sports, cycling has never been my thing and in all honesty until reading this book I never entirely understood the whole "working as a team, but there's only an individual winner in the end" concept of the sport. But even if you don't find cycling all that exciting, this book brings up some interesting ethical questions in which you find yourself asking what lengths you would be willing to go for yourself or for your spouse. I'd say take a chance on this book if you are looking for something a bit different and can handle an ending that maybe doesn't answer all your questions.

I won this book in a giveaway but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion. ( )