FREE WIDE-EYED AND LEGLESS: INSIDE THE TOUR DE PDF

Jeff Connor | 192 pages | 06 Jun 2011 | Mainstream Publishing | 9781845961718 | English | Edinburgh, United Kingdom Wide-Eyed and Legless by Jeff Connor

Inthe Tour was won by Irishman . Jeff Connor not only stayed with the British team but also found himself an unofficial team member. In this new edition of Wide-Eyed and Legless, now widely regarded as a classic, Connor describes what it takes to compete, survive and win during those 26 days of gruelling effort. Alongside the heroism and athleticism, he reveals the extraordinary amounts of chicanery, from pulling riders along to illicit drug use. Time has not dimmed the impact of this eye-opening and entertaining close-up look at the supreme endurance event, and Wide-Eyed and Legless is destined to be acclaimed by a new generation of cycling enthusiasts. We are currently experiencing delays in processing and delivering online orders. Click here for more information. Sign in or become a Readings Member to Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the this title to a wishlist. Straight to your inbox. Sign up to our Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France and be the first to know about new releases, special offers and more. Sign me up. I love books but please don't show me this pop-up again. Format Audio. Audible Studios on Brilliance. Online Not in stock. Please note, our stock data is updated overnight, and availability may change throughout the day. Prices are subject to change without notice. Sign up to receive our emails. Sign up. Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour de France - Jeff Connor - Google книги

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. In this new edition of 'Wide-Eyed and Legless', Connor describes in detail what it takes to compete, survive and win during those 26 days of gruelling effort in the name of sport. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published April 7th by Mainstream Publishing first published June More Details Original Title. Other Editions 5. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Wide-Eyed and Leglessplease sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Wide-Eyed and Legless. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Wide-Eyed and Legless. Book was OK. Not better than that. I was told that this was the best bicycling book ever written. Well, I guess bicycling books must be very poorly written because this book was not very good. I would not have minded if the author was just a poor writer. But it goes further than that. Run on sentences and grammatical errors abound in this poorly written tome. It did not foreshadow what was to become of the tour a decade later with the arrival of the dopers. Connor did not foresee what was to come Book was OK. Connor did not foresee what was to come. But more importantly he did not report on what most certainly going on during the tour on which he reported. I say this because several riders failed their drug tests during this tour and Connor did not see any reason to discuss it other than to mention it in passing. That would make him part of the problem. Very sad. Mar 17, Michael rated it really liked it Shelves: cycling. The blurb on the cover says, "The No. Well, that is a little extreme - it is certainly high up on the list for readable books about the Tour de France or professional bicycle racing, but it also has certain technical drawbacks. This book was originally published in and described Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France Tour race of - the author was a journalist and the British race team, ANC-Halfords, agreed to let him be with the team full time to cove The blurb on the cover says, "The No. This book was originally published in and described the Tour race of - the author was a journalist and the British race team, ANC-Halfords, agreed to let him be with the team full time to cover the race. This was ANC-Halfords first and last participation in the Tour de France and they weren't really ready for the race - they didn't have good enough riders and they didn't have good enough financial Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France therefore technical support. The team ended up letting Connor drive some of their vehicles because they ran out of people to do so - his perspective is more like that of a Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France support person than a journalist. And in fact, his being so much a part of an unsuccessful team is the main drawback of the book, if one is looking for a description of how a team works to win or compete in the Tour. ANC-Halfords lost three riders not too far into the race and only four riders finished out of nine so they rarely had anything like strategy or tactics - they didn't have the riders. On the other hand, the writing if good and it can be amusing to read an account of a failed effort, too, if it is done right, and this mostly is. Apparently since there is greater interest in the Tour de France, in particular British riders, a publisher in the UK decided to republish a new edition in There is a short new foreward but otherwise it is the same as the edition. Apr 19, Jacqui N rated it really liked it Shelves: sports. This race was a first for all of the ANC riders, as well as for most of their sponsors and support crew. A learning experience for all, the riders either found their niche or abandoned, and unfortunately the same was true for some members of the support staff and vehicles! I don't know about this being the No. As I read through this, I found myself wanting a similar book written by someone who was an insider on a more solid, experienced team on the tour That being said, I found this account of the British team's travails an entertaining and fast read. Especially enjoyable were the tidbits of race culture such as the "etiquette" amongst the team cars as they jockeyed or literally fought for position behind the riders, slinging lagging riders along, the final sprint wheeling and dealing, the reluctance of riders to walk any distance for any reason when off the bike, and so on. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in cycling as a sport, informative Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France well as fun. Mar 13, Iain rated it it was ok. Half narrative from an insider's perspective of the troubled ANC-Halfords team and half race report of the Tour, this book is trapped between the two: neither a gripping race commentary nor roller coaster emotional insight into the struggles of the combatants and team members. Covering one of the more memorable Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France years and one of the more inglorious teams, it promised a good yarn yet I was simply left without much benefit for reading it. Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France 22, The Master rated it liked it. Brought back great memories of the Tour. Can't help but feel that the author held back the juicier details from behind the scenes at ANC-Halfords. Then again, the author made clear that he wasn't a tabloid pig and presented the facts as objectively as possible. It's too bad because the ANC adventure of was perfect for the Gonzo approach. Fascinating read, about first Brit team to do Tour de France. They were so disorganised! It is hard to reconcile that with both the approach and success record of Team Sky. Connor was there as journalist and ended up being enlisted to help the team, as so many support crew bit the dust - as did riders. Oct 20, Janne Typpi rated it liked it. Bit disappointed with this Not as funny as I had expected. Mar 17, Goody2shoes rated it really liked it. Jeff, as a novice rider, did you 'really' cycle that tour stage on one of the teams race bikes? Supposed to be the "best cycling book ever" Mar 17, Jim rated it it was ok. Although dated, interesting inside the ropes view if the Tour de France. Aug 23, David rated it really liked it. Not quite 'the No. Apr 24, Shawn Stewart rated it it was ok. Be a fan of cycling and know the terminology before reading this book. Not my favorite bike book. Mar 25, Wide- Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France rated it really liked it. I've read many books on cycling and this has to be one of the best 'behind the scenes' accounts of a pro tour team at the Tour. Chris S rated it liked it Jul 24, Rob rated it it was amazing Nov 29, Fatima rated it liked it Mar 16, James rated it liked it May 06, Jon Mitchell rated it liked it Aug 13, Jonathon Monger rated it really liked it Sep 16, Max rated it really liked it May 04, Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France by Jeff Connor, Ben Elliot ·

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. That team's ill-fated attempt to play with the big boys in the European peloton left a scar on British cycling that is only beginning to be healed today with the arrival of Team Sky, which has at least managed to survive its first year on the continent without leaving behind a trail of bad debts and broken dreams. Well, without leaving behind a trail of bad debts. Strengths: Connor had privileged access to what was going on within ANC-Halfords and - not being a cycling journalist - has an outsider's eye for what's really going on. Weaknesses: There's so much more I wanted to know, more about what happened after the race ended. For that we have to wait until next year and Connor's current project. Thursday, July 1, West Berlin, East Germany. Sutton rode them in eight minutes and eleven seconds. Until the next rider came home, Sutton was the virtual leader of the Tour de France, wearing an imaginary maillot jaune. Five seconds after Sutton crossed the finish line, that next rider arrived. Those five seconds The Giro d'Italia finished on Saturday June Not three weeks later, its winner - Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France Roche - rolled down the start ramp of the Tour de France's prologue time trial. . . . Bernard Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France. All these names were being tossed about Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France Roche's name came up. All winners of the Giro-Tour double. Could Roche really join that pantheon? In Ireland, it was time for us to dream. In the UK, Tony Capper too was dreaming. Born in Stoke-in-Trent and then living on the Isle of Man, Capper's dream was to put a British team into the Tour de France and bring them home safely. Capper had made his money building and selling the ANC overnight delivery company. In doing that, he'd got involved with sponsoring first one cyclist, then a team, then multiple Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France. Now he was hoping to lead a British team to the Tour de France. While Stephen Roche was battling team-mates and tifosi in Italy, Capper was still waiting for the final nod from . Jeff Connor was a forty-one-year-old sub-editor with the Daily Stara British tabloid that had popularised the concept of newspaper bingo. From a standing start in The Star had grown to sales of nearly two million copies a day. In a market dominated by the Mirror and the Sunthat was no mean feat. Beyond bingo and 'Starbirds' its marketing stunts included the sponsorship of the Milk Race, a pro-am . In England in the eighties, the Milk Race was as good as it got. And with ANC's winning it in May, the idea of following him and his team-mates as they took on France's answer to the Tour of Britain must have seemed like a good idea to the people at the Star. Connor's Star bosses set him some bloody hard tasks for the Tour. The most famous one is that they wanted him to ride a stage Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France the race. Like, really ride a stage of the Tour. With the pros. In the peloton. George Plimpton eat yer heart out. Compared to some of the other tasks they set him though, that one was a cake walk. You try interviewing Robert Millar. The obliging type, Wouters popped over to the team to sort it out. He returned to Connor:. Welcome to the world of cycling Mr Connor, buckle up and enjoy the ride. I won't tell you how Connor's attempt to interview worked out, let's not give away all of Connor's secrets. But just remember this: Kelly didn't suffer fools gladly. And, in Kelly's view, a tabloid hack on his first Tour was a The opening weekend of the Tour was bloody tough, with six stages including the prologue packed into four days, including a plus kilometre transfer from East Berlin to Stuttgart by air for the riders, by road through communist East Germany for most everyone else. When you pay a million quid for the opening weekend of the Tour, you expect value for money, and the Germans got that in spades. Nobody seemed to care about the riders. Even Stephen Roche complained about the pace of the peloton :. Let's step out of this story a moment. Much is made of the increases in the speed of the Tour year to year. And the finger is always pointed at one single cause: doping. But consider what was actually happening in Two hundred and seven riders. Twenty- three teams. No team willing to ride at the front and control the race. No patron to put manners on the peloton. And everyone riding like they wanted to get the hell out of Germany and onto French soil as quick as they could. Palov had defected from communist Czechoslovakia the previous year and washed up in the UK in the Spring only to find himself starting the Tour back inside the Iron Curtain. So speed doesn't always mean speed. But it's an easy segue into the topic of doping and one I'm cheap enough to use. David Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France tells Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France watching on the Hautacam inand inand the Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France of the salle de presse laughing and joking about what they were witnessing, talking of doping before sitting down to tell the sanitised version of the story. It wasn't all that different in Here's Connor:. So are the physical signs of riders remaining jaunty, wide-eyed and full of life after seven hours of punishment in the saddle. And the drugs are so easy to get. You just go around Europe and ask in chemists. Most will say 'no' but you'll always find one who will sell them eventually. When Stephen Roche's team-mate, Guido Bontempi, got busted for testosterone, his directeur sportifDavide Boifava, had this to say:. They found in the analysis a small amount of testosterone, the natural hormone secreted by the body. Guido swears by God that he has taken nothing. To show everyone the injustice of it all Guido has decided to stay on the Tour and to win another stage. By now you know that I'm down on the way many in the media chose not to report doping in cycling in those days. But what of the attitude of the riders themselves? In that, Elliott had this to say about Bontempi:. There were still eight others between me and him and I didn't feel cheated any way. Bontempi's a great and a real animal, with or without testosterone. But at least Elliott had balls enough to mention the incident. Stephen Roche's autobiography, The Agony and the Ecstasysomehow misses his own team-mate's disgrace. Nor Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour De France it merit a mention in Roche's other book, My Road to Victory. David Walsh ghosted both of them. Back to the race. The Vosges. Time to meet a first cat col, the Col du Champ du Feu. The hill of the Field of Fire. Graham Jones, the former team-mate of Stephen Roche at and part of that team in Roche's Paris- victorywas the first to go out the back. Paul Watson - who had been the lanterne rouge since Stuttgart three stages ago - went next. Guy Gallopin scraped home just inside the cut-off limit and inherited Watson's last place overall. Five days into the race and already ANC-Halfords had lost a third of its team. They were getting massacried. Shane Sutton - who for those five seconds on that first day had been the virtual leader of the Tour de France, resplendent in an imaginary maillot jaune - surrendered the lanterne rouge he'd claimed two days earlier when sailing past Guy Gallopin at the bottom end of the GC, and climbed off his bike and into the sag wagon. Come the Alps, it was Steve Swart's time to say good-bye. Five down. Four left. He may not have seen much of what was going on at the pointy end of the race, but he got to see how cycling really works.