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Day of Glory or Day of Pain
By Jeff Jones
Day of Glory or Day of Pain
By Laurent Watiez, translated by William Westbrook
Published by Éditions de Eecloonaar, hardback, 100 photos, 120 pages
Available from: www.bestcyclingbooks.com
for US$39.95.
Written by La Voix du Nord journalist Laurent Watiez, "Day of Glory or Day of Pain" is a 120 page collection of stories from 20 legends of cycling. Riders featured include Rik Van Steenbergen, André Darrigade, Rik Van Looy, Raymond Poulidor, Eddy Merckx, Jan Janssen, Gianni Motta, Roger De Vlaeminck, Bernard Hinault, Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly. Each rider recounts a particular anecdote from one or two of their most memorable races, describing the joy of winning, and/or the pain of defeat. The stories are often amusing and provide an interesting insight into the world of professional cycling over the years.
For example, there is the story of Raymond Poulidor winning a track race in Spain - without actually riding it. Poulidor didn't like riding on the track because it made him dizzy, so he refused to start. The organiser could not convince him to go out, but came up with a way around it. He found a Spanish track rider who looked like Poulidor, who then proceeded to go out and win the races and it was a great success. Poulidor even got his start money!
The book has been published in French and Dutch, but has now been translated
into English. It's illustrated with some fantastic black and white photos, including
a memorable one of Rudi Altig putting Jan Janssen and Eddy Merckx in difficulty
during the 1967 Paris-Roubaix.
Price guide: US$39.95
Sizes: 120 pages.
More information: www.bestcyclingbooks.com
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