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Tonight is the first event for the new book, and I've spent most of the afternoon at home with curlers in my hair and cucumber circles on the eyes... Continue »

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What We Talk About When We Talk about Anne Frank: Stories
Nathan EnglanderNathan Englander 9780307958709

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Qty	Store	Section
1	Burnside	Sports and Fitness- Bicycle Racing
2	Hawthorne	Sports and Fitness- Bicycling General
12	Local Warehouse	Literature- A to Z
1	Remote Warehouse	Literature- A to Z

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The Rider

by Tim Krabbe

ISBN13: 9781582342900
ISBN10: 1582342903
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A literary sports classic, finally available in the U.S.

Originally published in Holland in 1978, The Rider became an instant cult classic, selling over 100,000 copies. Brilliantly conceived and written at a break-neck pace, it is a loving, imaginative, and, above all, passionate tribute to the art of bicycle road racing.

Not a dry history of the sport, The Rider is beloved as a bicycle odyssey, a literary masterpiece that describes in painstaking detail one 150-kilometer race in a mere 150 pages. The Rider is the ultimate book for bike lovers as well as the arm-chair sports enthusiast.

Synopsis:

Originally published in Holland in 1978, "The Rider" became an instant cult classic, selling over 100,000 copies. Brilliantly conceived, it is a loving, imaginative, and, above all, passionate tribute to the art of bicycle road racing.

About the Author

Tim Krabbé is one of Holland's leading writers, and his novels are published all over the world. His many books include The Vanishing, which was made into a successful film, and The Cave. He lives in Amsterdam.

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

: Guy, September 2, 2011 (view all comments by Guy)
Excellent book. Fun read.
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: megcampbell3, February 28, 2008 (view all comments by megcampbell3)
Perhaps "The Rider", from Dutch chess champion/writer/cyclist Tim Krabbé won’t make a smart addition to the legion of work in the staunch institution that is Literature, but it does a superb job of diving into the head of a cyclist (Krabbé himself) from start to finish in a defining race (the Tour de Mont Aigoual). The book moves through mountains and valleys of energy, from a confident bravado to morale shot full of holes; from full empowerment to reasoning and justification when minor decisions have major outcomes. As Krabbé points out, no journalistic telling will ever truly capture what goes on in a bike race (or, one can conclude, any athletic or intellectual competition). Krabbé perfectly conveys the idea that it is not necessarily the best competitor who crosses the line first, as in, "the journey is the destination". He also perfectly conveys exactly how random and uncontrolled the mind can be while the body is performing under ultimate discipline. The pacing of the writing seems to rival the pacing of the race itself, achieved with perfect edits, Krabbé's mind-body-chatter, and brief, pertinent chronicles of Krabbé's previous races, moments from which have all led to this pinnacle point. This is a must-read for any avid cyclist or racing fan.
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Product Details

ISBN:: 9781582342900
Editor:: Dickerman, Colin
Publisher:: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Editor:: Dickerman, Colin
Author:: Krabbe, Tim
Location:: New York
Subject:: Sports
Subject:: Cycling
Subject:: Sports stories
Subject:: Bicycle racing
Subject:: Cycling - General
Subject:: Literature-A to Z
Edition Number:: Pbk. ed.
Edition Description:: Trade Paperback
Series Volume:: 108-79
Publication Date:: 20030631
Binding:: TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:: General/trade
Language:: English
Pages:: 160
Dimensions:: 7.76x5.32x.43 in. .25 lbs.

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