The Rider by by Tim Krabbé

My book for April is The Rider by by Tim Krabbé. Looking for something lighter and shorter to read after wading through the fourth volume of the LBJ biography, I settled on this book. This was one of the books mentioned on The Sports Repodders Podcast in March.

The author was born in Amsterdam. He is a Dutch journalist, novelist, script writer, competitive cyclist and championship chess player.

First published in 1978, the book was translated into English in 2002. The Guardian wrote: "Nothing better is ever likely to be written on the subjective experience of cycle-racing."

The book is told from the point of view of a cyclist as he rides the Tour de Mont Aigoual. The col de Mont Aigoual (1507 meters) has been used once by the Tour de France in 1987. It is known as one of the cruelest stages of the Tour de France.

The book reminds of Ken Dryden's The Game. Both books use a small timeline to explore the author's life and his sport. I enjoyed the book and give it a solid "B".