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Angel of the Mountains
The Curious Life of Charly Gaul, Cycling's Forgotten Superstar
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Brief Description
'Maunder's book is more than just a biography of the rise and fall of a complicated man . . . It is also a critique of the damage that myth-making and the media can do to an athlete; a study of what happens to a demigod...
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Format: Hardback
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The first English language biography of the enigmatic and reclusive cyclist from Luxembourg who won the 1958 Tour de France and then disappeared.
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Description
'Maunder's book is more than just a biography of the rise and fall of a complicated man . . . It is also a critique of the damage that myth-making and the media can do to an athlete; a study of what happens to a demigod when thrown from Mount Olympus' The Times
Charly Gaul is a forgotten cycling legend. Once a household name across Europe, the diminutive Luxembourger won the 1958 Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia twice. A unique rider, Gaul was supremely gifted at climbing and resilient even in the foulest weather. His pedalling style was smooth and swift, and he could set an unmatchable metronome rhythm on a mountain climb. 'Mozart on two wheels,' was how one contemporary writer described him; another dubbed him 'The Angel of the Mountains'.
At the end of his cycling career Gaul disappeared, becoming a hermit living in a forest in Luxembourg. What drove Charly Gaul into a recluse's life? In Angel of the Mountains, Paul Maunder seeks to uncover the truth about Gaul, his psychology and the circumstances of his withdrawal from society. In rediscovering Gaul's enigmatic life, we find not only an unlikely hero but also a larger truth about the nature of sporting success.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781529429589
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 20 June 2024
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Quercus Publishing
Illustration: 30 b/w images
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 34.0mm
Width: 160.0mm
Height: 236.0mm
Weight: 520g
Pages: 320
About the Author
Paul Maunder is the author Angel of the Mountains, the critically acclaimed biography of Belgian 1958 Tour de France winner Charly Gaul. He has also written Rainbows in the Mud, a study of the world of Belgian cyclocross, and The Wind at my Back, a memoir on the connections between landscape, cycling and creativity. A graduate of the Royal Holloway creative writing programme, and the Faber Academy, Maunder lives in London with his family.
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