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The Race A Novel of Grit Tactics and the Tour de France Dave Shields 9780974849201 Books

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The Race A Novel of Grit Tactics and the Tour de France Dave Shields 9780974849201 Books

I do more MTB, but tour racing strategy is awesome. And this book highlights that. It is also much more readable for non cyclists than The Rider from Krabbe, that may be a classic, but would be a snooze fest for non riders. This I liked a lot and is the one I recommend to non riders to understand a bit of the sport.


Tags : The Race: A Novel of Grit, Tactics, and the Tour de France [Dave Shields] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>The white-knuckle pace of a bicycle race drives this novel about a young American's opportunity to compete in the Tour de France. Complex relationships with teammates,Dave Shields,The Race: A Novel of Grit, Tactics, and the Tour de France,Three Story Press,0974849200,Sports,Literature & Fiction Contemporary,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Sports,GENERAL,General Adult,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Modern fiction,POPULAR AMERICAN FICTION,United States

The Race A Novel of Grit Tactics and the Tour de France Dave Shields 9780974849201 Books Reviews

Even if you aren't into cycling, read this book. Just not right before you go to bed, its too hard to sleep while your heart is pounding!! What a story with highs and lows matching the hills and valleys the riders went over. A must have for anyone, cycling enthusiast or not, who has ever climbed a hill, literally or figuratively!!
I can't add anything to the other reviws. I just want to say this is a great sports novel. If you liked The Natural (the movie, not the original book) you'll like The Race.
Thrilling story from the first page! Well written too. You feel you're on a bike in the Tour. I loved it!
The title of this review is unfair to J.K. Rowling because unlike her Potter books, this one is chock full of awkward prose and spelling and grammatical errors.

The similarities to the Potter books lie in the form Substitute big quads for the lightning scar and a Bianchi for broomsticks and you have The Race. The plot is pure potboiler melodrama a simplistic bildungsroman of a young man (orphaned!) confronting a challenge and maturing by mastering both the external challenge and the limits of his own character. Not a bad framework, but the story is so thoroughly larded with trite lessons about being true to oneself and the virtues of loyalty and stiff upper lips that it often feels like something aimed at a child or a young teenager, not an adult.

For adults, almost any random essay or diary entry by Bobke has more grit, imagination, heart, and love of language than this entire book.

As in the Potter books, the characters here are either good or bad, honest or dishonest. No one really changes over the course of the book, except that the hero matures some.

What's good about the book are the descriptions of the racing itself, where my enthusiasm for all things bicyclic overcame the awkward writing and the author's love of racing came through strongly, and even there his didactic asides explaining simple bicycling terms break the illusion of being in the peleton.

If you're a complete tifoso, this book will pass a rainy evening. If you are less than completely rabid about cycling, you can do better.

Me? I enjoyed it well enough in the same way that I sometimes enjoy wasting an evening with Mickey Spillane, but for real writing about bicycling, give me Bobke any day or pop in a DVD of Breaking Away.
Let me say first that I found this book a real page turner. I must have devoured it in one night! So, for a real page turner that this turned out for me, why a pithy THREE stars?

I'm a cycling fan, and with the lack of books/novels on cycling, this stands out. The pace was exciting, the story was gripping, and you just had to find out what happens next -- so you couldn't put the book down. It's a great story for those people who thirst for stories like this (i.e., about cycling, about the Tour de France).

As a literary piece, however, it is very lacking. It looks like it was written by an amateur writer. The descriptions of events, places, were done superficially. There was too much melodrama.

Contrary to what people say, this book is, in my _opinion_, ONLY for cycling fans. Oh, yeah, sure... when the (pitifully named) Ben Barnes (that really happens to be a lousy name for the star of the book -- but then so is his nemesis another pitifully named character named Kyle Smith) upgrades his Schwinn to a Bianchi, a non-cyclist will just infer that he got an upgrade. From a literary point of view, it would have been great if the author described the differences of the bikes as well, and what makes the upgrade noteworthy.

The flashbacks to Ben Barnes' past was a good addition, and makes a nice counterpoint to what is currently happening in his race. But again, I think a little more elaboration on what was happening, what happened, the cyclists' emotions, etc. would have helped the book.

HOWEVER, IGNORE MY RATING OF 3 STARS. If you've read this far into the review, you're probably a cycling fan looking to see if you should get this book. My advice? GET IT. In fact, I found the book TOO SHORT. I wish it were longer.

Yes, I gave this book only 3 stars. If you're a cycling fan, forget about ratings; just get this book. If you're not a cycling fan, look elsewhere.
If your looking for classically written literature this is not it. But, if you like cycling and want to get a fictional feel for the coming of age of a future champion, this is a page turner that's difficult to put down. It has something to say to readers from age 12 to 60. Parts will make you cry. Parts will make you smile. And, parts will have you yelling and cheering. My only complaint is that the sequel to "The Race", "The Tour" is not currently being offered for the KIndle.
Its hard to find a good book on bicycling - fiction or non-fiction. Breaking that trend, Dave Shields has written the best novel of bicycling that I've ever read. The Race is about a solitary rider's thoughts as he pedals through a couple of Tour de France stages. Its not about the whole race, or a season - just two stages. Besides some exciting racing, and a nice summary of racing tactics, there are some flashbacks to learn about what makes Shields' rider keep turning over the pedals. Anyone who has spent hours in the saddle or even pounding the pavement knows about the deep, almost meditative state that one can achieve. Shields does an epic job of simulating the mindset of an elite bicycle racer. The only negative comment I could make on this book would be its length - Dave Shields is too good of a writer to limit himself to this many pages - WE WANT MORE! Hope to read another by Dave very, very soon!
I do more MTB, but tour racing strategy is awesome. And this book highlights that. It is also much more readable for non cyclists than The Rider from Krabbe, that may be a classic, but would be a snooze fest for non riders. This I liked a lot and is the one I recommend to non riders to understand a bit of the sport.