Monday, July 2, 2007

On Ya Bike!

My reading time is going to be severely hampered from July 7th as the Tour de France starts for another year. This amazing race, and ultimate test of endurance is strangely compelling viewing.
For those of you who do not understand the passion that the Tour can bring out in people then there are many books that try and explain it.
The one book I want to focus on is called French Revolutions by Tim Moore. Moore sets out to ride the course of the Tour six weeks before the actual Tour starts. The book becomes a comic journey through the French countryside with Moore who has never ridden a bike before. But he manages to complete the course, much to his surprise. Moore has been compared to Bill Bryson but I have to say that he is a lot better than Bryson. Not only is Moore funnier, but he actually does something in the places he writes about, rather than being a simple tourist. Other books Moore has written include Spanish Steps where Moore goes on a pilgrimage across Spain with a donkey, Do Not Pass Go where Moore visits all the spaces on an English Monopoly board, and Nul Points where Moore visits all the Eurovision acts that have scored no points.
Moore is a great writer with a sharp wit, and I can not recommend him highly enough. He will make you laugh out loud on public transport so be warned.

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