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In Pursuit of the Yellow Jersey: Bicycle Racing in the Year of the Tortured Tour (Cycling Resources) (Cycling Resources Book)

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Covering the European peloton for decades, Sam Abt has seen it all and brought it all to life for those of us who can only dream, someday, of going and watching the Tour in person. The 1998 edition of the race is one we all remember, and most of us would like to forget. Since the only way to learn from the past is to revisit it, we have to go back there from time to time, and the best way to do this is by reading In Pursuit of the Yellow Jersey.

As he often does, instead of jumping right in to the Tour de France, Abt takes us through the season's early tests -- the classics -- setting the scene for what's to come in July; a scene for which none of us were ready.

Once the stuff hits the fan, he's there with all the detail and all the opinions you'll need to know exactly what's going on and just exactly how the riders feel about it. But there's more to this book than just the drug scandals; there are the day to day events that make up the very heart of the race, described in vivid detail. And let's not forget the American who ended up on the podium that year.