Customer Reviews

Dancing on the Pedals: The Found Poetry of Phil Liggett, The Voice of Cycling

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This book, a tribute to the dean of Tour de France broadcasters, Phil Liggett, is a genuine find. Donaldson has taken 30 years' worth of Liggett's Tour de France calls and recast them into more than 200 poems of varying lengths. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Liggett himself has a natural gift for rhythm and metaphor, as well as a wide-angle style of commentary that has always made TDF seem so much larger than a mere athletic event. In Liggett's world, and thus Donaldson's poems, cyclists become kings and jokers, conquerors and the conquered, and/or any number of other stages in between. The book's title, by the way, comes from a classic Liggett moment: Watching a cyclist climb a peak during the 1989 event, the broadcaster observed, "He's dancing on the pedals in a most immodest way."

Some of the poems pack a surprising punch in a very few lines, all the more so for anyone who has ever climbed on a bicycle seat for any event requiring endurance. In this category is one titled "Contender": "He is settling in./He is recovering./And he will kick in." Or there's this one, "Inferno," which reminded me of the John Berryman poetry I read in college: "There's our friend/the devil/who's joined us/the past few days." Among the longer poems, I particularly liked "World of Hurt," one of a number of tributes to Greg LeMond. Donaldson also uses typography and phrasing to amplify the meaning and impact of the individual poems. (Check out "Come to Paris." It'll make you smile.) Finally, embedded between the lines of the poems is a succinct history of TDF, sure to evoke nostalgic feelings in any true fan.

Overall, for anyone who's into cycling, sportscasting genius, or poetry itself, Dancing is a very nice read.

This is a great bedside version of Phil at the Tour. You can hear his voice as you read his "poetry"! Great gift for the Phil/Tour de France fans of the world.

My girlfriend bought this for me after her first TDF watching experience was punctuated with me yelling my favorite Ligget lines at the TV in a terrible british accent. I always felt like Phil's commentary somehow transcended the word of cycling and hit a higher note, so to speak, and this book exemplifies that. A great book for any cycling fan!

As a long time TDF and Phil Liggett fan, I was excited about this book and it didn't disappoint. I'm sure I have heard much of this "live" while watching the tour. And while reading every word, I was listening to Phil in my head. Loved it!

Our son is a cycler. He requested this book and enjoys it. It arrived in good shape. Thank you

Very light read can be picked up and put down any time. Impossible not to hear his voice as you read it. Laid out in fun Heiku-like format. If you like Phil, you're bound to recognize some of these.

This was a well researched and written book. A real find that will be around as a classic to the cycling enthusiast.