Disappointing Tribute To A Great Rider
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I bought this book as a self-proclaimed fan of "Big Mig" and I have to say I was disppointed in it. The contents seemed to consist of a series of meaningless glorifications, without any real substance to back them up. I would have liked to have read about Miguels amazing performances in his many early season single day races (e.g. Liege-Bastogne-Liege) and his ability to ride for others, as well as for himself. Indeed, I would have liked to have read about how it was these traits that really made Miguel stand out - and also made him very popular with his fellow professional riders (although, sadly, not to journalists). I feel this was a great shame, and did a great disservice to an undoubtedly great rider - maybe someone else will rise to the challenge?
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A clumbsy eulogy to a Tour de France legend.
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Both during and after his 5 year dominance of Le Tour, Miguel Indurain has been wrongly criticised for a "lack of panache". He is one of the cycling greats, and his legend has sufferred in much the same way as that of Jacques Anquetil. He is not given enough respect for his achievements, nor for his classical style.
Nonetheless, none of that can excuse the author for this entirely subjective and paranoid defence of Indurain that, in my opinion, ultimately does a disservice to the champion.
The author is so biased towards Indurain's cause that he constructs unlikely scenarios to explain away any Indurain failure, even in the face of a denial of that scenario from the great man himself!!!
An argument without balance is not an argument.
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don't judge a sausage by its skin
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I read this book at a time when I'd read every other cycling book I could get my hands on. I'd left this till last as I thought, based on my memories of Big Mig as something of an automaton, that it would be quite dull. Well, like they say "don't judge a sausage by its skin". Anyone who, like me, has formed a view of Big Mig over the years as a robotic kind of fella - read this book. It's entertaining, inspiring and above all else it leaves you with immense admiration and respect for the guy who in the face of any adversity conducted himself with immense dignity. My views of the great man are changed forever and if there is one legendary cyclist I could meet, I think Big Mig would shade it.
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Indurain: a Tempered Passion
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If you love the Tour de France, then you'll love Sanchez's biography of the greatest racer of them all. Translated into English, Sanchez's style is very passionate and the expressive language used is rich in beauty and thought. The quiet elegance that forms the heart of the literary style of the book is perfect when describing the quiet man of the Tour.
Miguel Indurain was the first cyclist that really caught my eye back in 1990, and this was probably due to the fact that despite his calm assurance, he was somewhat of an enigma. Sanchez opens his story with the comment that only the Spanish winds really understood The Navarran colossus. Somehow this statement merely adds to the legend that is Miguel Indurain.
A Tempered Passion covers the whole of Indurain's career from his early club experiences to detailed accounts of his tour victories, but it never loses sight of the person himself. It is not merely an account of his many achievements, it is the dissection of a man who pushed himself to the absolute limit in chasing sporting perfection. At the end of the book, it is fair to say that you can really understand what made Indurain tick, and what drove him on to the ultimate glory. It is a biography that is both intimate and yet forthright. What makes a man want to climb mountains like Mont Ventoux and Alpe D'huez in searing heat when every bone in his body is screaming for him to stop. Read 'a Tempered Passion' and you'll find out. Lance Armstrong is currently persuing his 6th straight tour vicory, but for me there is only one legend.
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