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Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike
 
 
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Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike [Kindle Edition]

William Fotheringham (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
Print List Price: £8.99
Kindle Price: £6.17 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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Product Description

Review

"Merckx - a natural champion who regularly rode himself and others into agony and glory - is a fine choice for a writer of Fotheringham's skill and cycling knowledge... A fascinating, often bleak portrait of remarkable athlete and an unnerving man." (Brian Schofield Sunday Times )

"A fine portrait of obsession" (Financial Times )

"Remarkable and impressive . everything you want to know about Merckx and more." (Richard Abraham Cycling Weekly )

"The Cantona or Muhammad Ali of cycling, this Belgian's story is amazing - and it's told by one of the greatest cycling reporters around... Top Notch" (Loaded )

"The full unvarnished of one man's heaven, and hell, on wheels." (i, Independent )

Book Description

The Sunday Times Number One bestselling biography of Eddy Merckx, the greatest cyclist of all time, by William Fotheringham, Britain's top cycling writer.
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Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1263 KB
  • Print Length: 338 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1613747268
  • Publisher: Vintage Digital (22 Mar 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00778MI0S
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #9,032 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
35 reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant biography of the legend 21 April 2012
By phil n
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had always wondered why there wasn't an English language biography of Merckx. Then I saw two were due out this spring. I pre-ordered because I had enjoyed Fotheringham's other books on Coppi and Simpson. This is the best of the lot. Manages to avoid just listing the hundreds of victories and focuses on some key points in each of Merckx's seasons. A great attempt to understand the motivations of the inspirational man. It conveys something of Merckx's passion and puts the unparalleled achievements into context in a fascinating way. A very difficult book to put down. I absolutely loved it.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Merckx biographies are like buses.... 26 April 2012
By M. McCann
Format:Hardcover
I finished Friebe's The Cannibal immediately prior to reading Fotheringham so naturally my instinct is to compare the 2- generally both books come to more or less the same conclusions regards Merckx, what drove him etc. Fotheringham does have the advantage of actually having interviewed Merckx himself although this turns out to have been in 1997.
As a summary of Merckx's career, this is well structured and draws on a wide range of interviews from those who worked with or against The Cannibal. There is plenty here to amaze and educate those not lucky enough to see the man when he qctually competed and it shows why it is not simple hyperbole to describe Merckx as the greatest cyclist ever. To be honest if I had to choose between Friebe and Fotheringham I would find it difficult-they complement each other well in that they go into different levels of detail on different epsiodes so something Fotheringham mentions in passing is dealt with more expensively by Friebe and vice versa. So neither is fully definitive on its own but still stand as useful and illuminating
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars IT'S ALL ABOUT MAN & BIKE! 30 April 2012
By NIFTYNEV
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Cycling fans enjoy; as I enjoyed reading this extreremely detailed account, but then I'm a cycling roadracing fanatic and the 'cannibal' has long been one of my heroes. William Fotheringham is clearly a Merckx worshiper also - His rendition of the life of a truly great sportsman who appears to have beaten everyone and won everything is clinical, precise and accurate. He describes the cycling achievements of the man no one could beat and his domination of his era with knowledge and enthusiasm. If the story has a fault it might rest with Merckx's constant winning ability and his total dominance of the peleton; so much so that everyone else appeared, at times, to just give up and let the 'master' ride to the inevitable victory. Of course things went wrong for Eddie in later years, when he finally lost some of his edge - but that's all in the story and that's life!

Read it if you love cyle racing and the 'BIG' TOURS ..........
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight
Superb insight to the greatest cycle racer of all time. Lots of imtimate detail of Mercks' life and beliefs, his strengths and insecurities.
Published 2 days ago by Geoff L
5.0 out of 5 stars Mercx the Man
Totally absorbed and read it in one day in lanzarote whilst holidaying. The feats and will power of the men are amazing and there can be no doubt this is the greatest cyclist ever. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Alan Yates
5.0 out of 5 stars great read.
I am finding this book really good, the way its written, the subject, etc. I find using the Kindle a real bonus and this item displayed on it is fine. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Cummings
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read
couldn't put the book down what a man! shows what the "modern cyclists" for what they are.selective and pampered can you imagine them racing week in week out as merckx... Read more
Published 1 month ago by MANDY DOWSE
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
If you are a fan or wondering what made him a legend, you need to read this book. Very well written, researched and thought out.

God wishes he was Merckx!
Published 1 month ago by JohnMc
3.0 out of 5 stars Hard To Follow And Loads Of Mistakes
I really enjoyed reading the race accounts, but generally found the whole book very hard to follow. For a start, there was far too much detail - at times ten people would be... Read more
Published 1 month ago by N. Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Bought this as a gift - the recipient thought the book was excellent, well written, and full of great information a great read for any cycling fan.
Published 2 months ago by Helena Sharkey
5.0 out of 5 stars Legends of sport only appear once in a generation
A man ironically driven by his own force through the pedals and with a vigour never to be seen again.
Published 2 months ago by Martyn Gale
5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas present
This was a present for my hubby. It arrived promptly and was just what he expected. He hasn't read it all yet - he likes to dip in and out of it!
Published 2 months ago by Gemini_lady
5.0 out of 5 stars Total dominance but with a nice touch
A very interesting biography of the greatest racing cyclist ever - from childhood to worn-out!

Depending on one's view, he may have had a similar defect to Lance... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Manager Man
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