French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "It's never wise to phone a Frenchwoman more than once in any given fortnight, even if-or perhaps especially if-she happens to work on a help..." (more)
Key Phrases: jersey pocket, yellow jersey, Tour de France, Paul Kimmage, Chris Boardman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

With every book, this British writer inches ever closer to mastering Bill Bryson's unique mixture of travelogue and comedy. His latest offering finds the author on the roads and highways of France, Switzerland, and Germany, a 36-year-old novice cyclist trying to complete the Tour de France. Not the actual Tour de France, that is. Moore set off on the course several weeks before the actual race began, just to see if he could finish all 2,256 miles of it. Like his previous books, Frost on My Moustache (2000) and The Grand Tour (2001), this is not so much a travelogue as a travel situation comedy. Like the protagonist of a sitcom, things just keep happening to Moore: he finds himself in the unlikeliest of places, meeting the unlikeliest of people. He charts his tour progress with an impish wit, never taking anything too seriously, and is engagingly honest about his own shortcomings as a Tour de France cyclist. (He cheats, in other words.) Moore, and the reader, develop a greater understanding of what it takes to be a true tour cyclist: equal parts determination, stamina, and lunacy. His descriptions of the places he visits make these small towns and villages seem instantly familiar; the people he encounters become as real as our closest friends. About halfway through the book, we realize that it doesn't really matter whether he finishes the course; getting there is all the fun. A must for fans of offbeat travel books by the likes of Bryson, Calvin Trillin, and Tony Hawks. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"[Moore's] adventures are -- in the best sense -- off the beaten track. Thank goodness for that." -- The New York Times Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (June 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312290454
• ISBN-13: 978-0312290450
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,220,085 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good vacation read, August 12, 2002

By A Customer

I recently bought this book on vacation... a little light reading. I enjoyed it for just that. It had interesting historical facts about the Tour without succombing to a history lesson. His writing style is very...British. Be aware Mr Moore describes his European neighbors and their habits in a particularly british light. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven, at times frustrating, but a lot of fun., September 26, 2003

By	James Burke (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France (Paperback)

This novel answers a question most cyclists have asked themselves: Could I, a mere mortal, finish the Tour de France? The answer Moore walks away with is yes, you can probably Forrest Gump your way through--provided you play free and loose with the route and the rules.

As you begin the book, however, it seems as though it will take Moore a lifetime to reach this conclusion. The first few chapters read less like literature than the winning essay in a "Can You Fit a Gag in EVERY Sentence?" contest. At times it takes paragraph after excruciating paragraph of wacky hijinks for Moore to complete the most mundane task, e.g., picking up the bike and walking out the door--you may find yourself ready to scream "just get ON with it!" more than once.

Once Moore gets his act together and starts rolling, however, so does the book. Moore makes no secret of the fact that he is an absolute beginner when it comes to cycling, and this really helps the book remain fun. Rather than getting bogged down in technical jargon and precise details, Moore simply bumbles his way around France, using a liberal dose of caustic English wit to chronicle his journey and reflect on the unique, at times baffling enigma that is French culture. And he does bring to light some head-scratchers; why do the French post a permanent sign next to every chip, hole and gouge in a road instead of simply repaving it? In a country the size of France, how could a canyon 12 miles long and a mile wide possibly go undiscovered until 1905?

Moore's real genius, though, was in unearthing a treasure trove of arcane, fascinating Tour de France trivia. From the unimaginable suffering of the early tours, to the insane results of egos run amok, to the at times hilarious, at times heartbreaking lengths men go through to finish the Tour, Moore misses nothing and weaves it seamlessly into his own "Tour."

That's the good news. The bad news is the fun is concentrated in the center of the book; it loses steam in last few chapters. And while both Americans and Brits speak English, the English we speak is not the same, a fact made painfully obvious by Moore's liberal use of impenetrable Brit-slang. Combine that with dozens of French phrases, and you may go for sentences without a clue to what Moore is talking about.

A final irony is that this book will likely appeal more to those who don't cycle that those who do, because while Moore is a novice, he is also quite often an unbearable idiot. I found myself checking the jacket to see if this book wasn't written in 1951--why would anyone in this day and age attempt to ride 100 miles fueled up on candy bars, pate, espresso, cold medicine and liters of wine? I guess Moore loves the macho/romantic image, but excuse me if I don't think getting yourself--or someone else--killed while riding half drunk is cool, particularly when you've got three kids. I just found much of what he did so exasperatingly, pointlessly stupid I couldn't let it go.

But more seriously, it just didn't ring true to me; bluntly, I think Moore is often flat-out lying about his exploits. Knowing what I know about cycling, and given the massive dehydration, cramping, fatigue and overall havoc such a crap diet would wreak on his system, I find it VERY difficult to believe Moore could have finished as much of this ride as he claims he did.

But then, Moore didn't take his journey that seriously, so I suppose I shouldn't either. And, so long as you don't take it seriously, I would imagine that virtually anyone can enjoy Moore's ride. Flaws aside, a fun read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent fun!!, November 24, 2003

By	Nick Coyne (Cape Town, South Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France (Paperback)

I'm a cyclist, tour de france fan and occasional cycle tourist. Tim Moore has managed to capture the essence of all that is good and bad about cycling and cycle-touring. He crams humour into almost every sentence and at times I was laughing out loud at the unique way that he manages to decribe things.

An excellent read for anyone that rides a bike, and I suspect that many non-cyclists will enjoy this too.