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Description
Hugo Koblet was the Pédaleur de Charme, a Tour de France winner arguably more gifted even than Fausto Coppi. During cycling’s “golden age” he was sporting deity; rich, charismatic and achingly beautiful. In winning the 1951 Tour he enraptured not only European sports fans but also, uniquely, European womanhood. And yet… When, in 1964, Koblet took his own life, he was penniless, homeless and utterly broken. In “Dear Hugo”, award-winning author Herbie Sykes evokes the wreckage of that life through the testimony of a fan, and through the contents of a mysterious cardboard box discovered in a Zurich apartment…
Details and Materials
- Published by Rapha Editions
- Written by Herbie Sykes
- 210 x 160mm portrait
- 130 pages
- Flexi-bound cover with square spine
Q&A
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Rated 3 out of
5
by
Sean OB from
A biography with a difference
I greatly enjoyed Herbie Sykes' previous work and I have long yearned for a biography of Hugo Koblet, so I was thrilled when this book became available. However, while I can understand Mr. Sykes' desire to come at this from a unique and creative perspective (that of a young boy, to begin with), the reader, in my case, at least, is left trying to connect dots and yearning for more detail. I suppose that could still be the case in a conventional biography, as there will always be possible tangential subjects that may not be explored, but there were many passing references in this book about which I would have loved to learn more. Also, while I know they were part of the book's concept, I did find the faux typos a little much.
That said, it was still an enjoyable read, complemented by well chosen photos in a carefully designed layout, so I would definitely recommend it for fans of cycling history.
Date published: 2022-11-15
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Jackseph from
Imaginary conversations with a cycling great
Printed back to front of cover. A quirky Raphaesque thing, or mistake?
Date published: 2023-02-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Midsjam from
Beautiful read opens your mind to a fantastic spor
Fantastic book. Great read. Excellent quality recommended
Date published: 2022-11-04
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