If you like suspenseful, blood and guts murder mysteries, then the added attraction of having the setting a pro cycling team during the spring campaign in Europe makes this a must read. When the book was serialized in Velo News a few years ago, I could hardly wait for the next issue to come out with the next episode. Reading the full book, I found it hard to put down.
The story follows the Haven Cycling Team as its star rider is blown to kingdom come and replaced by a washed-up American pro, Will Ross, the main character in the story. The tale of intrigue of how he came to be selected for the job, and why, and how he reacts and rides, form the heart of the novel. We also follow French Inspector Luc Godot as he ferrets out the bad guys in true Columbo fashion. The story peaks with the running of Paris Robaix, and ends with a bang.
The sequel to Two Wheels, this novel follows Will Ross and the Haven Cycling Team as they enter the Tour de France. But more evil lurks as an unknown force dispenses undetectable drugs to riders, sometimes with gruesome results. Greg packs in plenty of suspense and a lot of cycling action into his 382 page novel, as well as a new element not present in Two Wheels, sex. Though not a major plot element, it does hit you in the face. Luc Godot is back, but now as the Chief of Security for Haven Pharmaceuticals, and with a live-in mistress!
Bicycling Magazine calls this "The greatest cycling novel ever written." But while cycling and the Tour de France are integral parts of the story, it is actually about the love life of an expatriate English antique dealer living in Belgium, Terry Davenport, who describes himself as a "sensualist, bon vivant, radical, cyclist exraordinaire, light work done with horse and trap."
The setting is the early ‘70's, and we soon learn that Terry is not content with one woman. Cycling early on in the novel deals with his coaching of Romain Hendrickx, a climbing sensation with a shot at the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. All of the preceding combine to land Terry in the Tour de France in a year when riders rode on national teams, with Terry on the "mixed" nationality team. Events become dramatic, with many twists and turns. But in the end, this is a novel about a person, not a hero.
Available from Velo Press, 1(800)234-8356 or http://www.velocatalogue.com. Paperbacks under $15. The Yellow Jersey is available at Primo.