Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape The Remarkable Life of Jacques Anquetil, the First Five-Times Winner of the Tour de France

by Howard, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781845964610
• ISBN10: 1845964616
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-10-01
• Publisher: Mainstream Publishing

Summary

Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape is the astonishing biography of French cycling star Jacques Anquetil. For the first time since his death in 1987, it reveals the extraordinary truth behind the legend, the man and the cyclist. His list of 'firsts' alone makes him worthy of a place in the cycling pantheon: the first man to win the Tour de France five times; the first man to win all three grand tours - the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana; and the first man to win both the Tour and Vuelta in one year. However, the extraordinary life of Anquetil does not stop at his achievements on a bike. He candidly admitted to using drugs, offended legions of fans by confessing that his only motivation for riding was financial and infamously indulged his enthusiasm for the high life. He also seduced his doctor's wife, had a child with her daughter and then sustained a menage a trois with his wife and stepdaughter under the same roof for 12 years. When this 'family' eventually imploded, he attempted to inspire jealousy in his former lovers by having a child with his stepson's ex-wife. Containing exclusive contributions from Anquetil's family, friends, teammates and rivals, Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape untangles myth from reality and confirms that fact is definitely stranger than fiction.

Author Biography

Paul Howard is a writer and journalist who contributes frequently to cycling magazines and the author of Riding High.

Table of Contents

Prologue	p. 9
The 'Viking' of Quincampoix	p. 19
Look, Dad, No Stabilisers	p. 27
The Apprentice - Part I	p. 39
The Apprentice - Part II	p. 49
A Star is Born	p. 61
Wounded Pride	p. 73
Mission: Impossible	p. 81
Chercher la Femme…	p. 93
Femme Fatale?	p. 107
Italian Job	p. 123
The Beginning of an Era	p. 137
Just Because I'm Paranoid Doesn't Mean They're Not Out to Get Me	p. 149
An Insatiable Appetite	p. 161
Fourteen Seconds	p. 177
The Curious Incident of the Race in the Night-time	p. 195
Anyone but Poulidor	p. 211
Don't Take the P***	p. 231
Jacques of All Trades	p. 247
The Cyclist, the Wife, Her Daughter and His Lover	p. 263
The Cyclist, the Stepson, His Wife and Her Lover	p. 277
Cycling's James Bond	p. 287
Epilogue	p. 301
Palmarès	p. 307
Bibliography	p. 315
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