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Title: The Long Season: One Year of Bicycle Racing in California by Bruno Schull ISBN: 1-891369-32-6 Publisher: Breakaway Books Pub. Date: September, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Beautiful and inspiring
Comment: This is beautiful writing about racing. It captures the ebb and flow of a race perfectly -- the long fast easy stretches and the terrible moments when the pack inexplicably rides away and you bonk. He mixes in a good amount of a young amateur's dreams and ambitions, the hope and the pain -- and the realization of the gulf between him and the true greats of the sport. It's an inspiring read.
Rating: 3
Summary: The (very, very) Long Season
Comment: The Long Season is not a particularly enjoyable read, and to say that it is not for everyone is a mild understatement.
I would have to classify this as an extreme niche book: one that will appeal almost solely to those hardcore cyclists who live and train in the Bay Area. Maybe. Keep in mind, too, that this is the first work by a very young author attempting to capture the essence of cycling, an extremely difficult topic about which to write-the cards were stacked against him from the get go.
However, it was less the topic, story or writing style-deadpan Hemmingway-that bothered me about this book than its relentlessly bleak, joyless tone. This is not to say that cycling is all sunshine; anyone who has ever trained seriously or raced knows that the regimen, no matter how spectacular the surroundings, can be a grueling, life-draining grind on some days. But not EVERY day, which is what Schull would have you believe. Working through chapter after chapter of monotonous scenery, horrendous weather, drudge, dread, pain and fatigue made me wonder two things: does Schull live in the same glorious Bay Area I do, and finally, if he hates everything about cycling so much, why does he do it?
It's a shame, too, because Schull is an adept storyteller. The book cleverly parallels his up-and-down racing and training life with that of the European pros on the brutal schedule leading up to the Tour de France, and then juggles all of this with his personal life: demanding classes at UC Berkeley, a loyal-but-impatient girlfriend and parents fed up with his bicycle obsession. Finally, there's the back-story of an idyllic summer of racing and romance in Europe. It's compelling, the story flows well and his amazingly in-depth knowledge of the European racing schedule and players adds some interesting detail.
Still, for me anyway, the fatal flaw is that bad, good, win, lose, Schull seems to take joy in NONE of it. His personal life irks him to no end, the training is bland drudgery, the losses are bitter failure and the victories are solemn, each little more than a step on the path to even greater suffering. Even watching the Tour is a chore for him, his walk to the bar is a lonely trudge, the room noisy and smoky, the patrons ignorant and intrusive.
So while I admire his woven story and his realistic portrayal of the hardships of competitive cycling, dude, lighten up! Hop on your bike and ride out to Stinson Beach. After three hours of winding cliffside switchbacks with the ocean crashing below, beautiful coastal towns, climbs through redwood forest, 40 mph descents on deserted mountain roads, if you can't find SOMETHING to smile about, sell the bike and move on.
Rating: 2
Summary: The Long Season
Comment: I too was hoping for more about Bruno's racing experiences than reading about racing in Europe. There are other books for that. What he did write about his own experiences I enjoyed. I only wish there was more of it.
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Title: The Rider by Tim Krabbe ISBN: 1582342903 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Pub. Date: 12 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Bobke II by Bob Roll ISBN: 193138228X Publisher: Velo Press Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage ISBN: 0224061704 Publisher: Random House UK Ltd Pub. Date: 30 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: North Wind in Your Spokes by Hans Blickensdorfer, Marlis Cambon ISBN: 1891369180 Publisher: Breakaway Books Pub. Date: June, 2000 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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Title: Off to the Races: 25 Years of Cycling Journalism by Samuel Abt, Graham Watson ISBN: 1931382069 Publisher: Velo Press Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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