Tour de Lance – Bill Strickland

$10.82 in paperback from Amazon.com

Buy it if: You subscribe to VeloNews, use chamois cream or get extra psyched when EuroSport shows the entire Fleche Wallone race

Don’t Buy it if: So, there are more races than the Tour de France? But doesn’t Lance Armstrong win all of them?

Tour de Lance (already a winner in the ‘Most Obvious, yet Surprisingly Unused Title’ category) is an inside track version of Lance’s most recent ‘unretirement,’ dubbed ‘Comeback 2.0’ by those with a vested corporate interest in him. And, being written as it was by Bicycling Magazine’s Editor-at-Large, I wouldn’t have been shocked to find a book that focused on the positive aspects of cycling and skimmed over the darker side. Fortunately, author Bill Strickland has obviously embraced the most crucial aspects of journalistic integrity and Tour de Lance offers one of the most captivating looks at a cycling icon, and the sport in general, that has been available for a long time.

When Lance Armstrong stated his intention to come out of retirement in search of an 8^th Tour de France title, it was met with a few different reactions, all of them passionate. The cynics believed it was a return to the old guard of doped up cyclists, the believers held faith that he could win again, as unblemished as ever, and the general race fans were thrilled at the prospect of excitement after the relatively lackluster 2008 edition. But no athletic story is ever so simple as the headlines allow. To really understand the details of a sport as complex as professional cycling requires not only a massive amount of knowledge, but also near unprecedented access to the one of the most guarded athletes in a sport that has long used the word ‘omerta’ (Mafioso for ‘silence’) to describe its policies.

Yet Strickland, co-author of Armstrong confidant/team director Johan Bruyneel’s autobiography, found himself at exactly this journalistic crossroads in late 2008. With a deep well of knowledge and the trust of those around the cyclist, he set off on a year-long journey following Lance’s attempt at a cycling rebirth. In addition to the drama already inherent to the well-known Armstrong legacy, 2009 added the twist of sharing a team with the most recent Tour champion, his first ever major injury, a newly accessible personality that was on display via Twitter, and his first visit to the professional ranks since a host of new doping accusations had surfaced following his last retirement. In short, the cycling world was reaching its dramatic zenith and Strickland was fly-on-the-wall close.

Of course, anyone with a passing interest in cycling need only do a quick Google search to learn that ‘Comeback 2.0’ resulted in a 3^rd place finish at Le Tour. But that’s not the story, not here. Instead, this may be the most ‘inside’ book on Lance ever written with his authorization. (Though he may have thought twice about his cooperation given Strickland’s most recent Bicycling editorial stating his belief that Armstrong did, indeed, dope) The book will find its most avid fans amongst those whom are already cycling aficionados. If you’re not, the pages will still certainly hold your interest. But if you are, it’s amazing at how much of the whole story is held within. Allusions to truths and whispered confessions line this book with depths of realism that pierce much of the ‘omerta.’ The author is quite honest about holding back some of what he knows, yet offers far more than I would have ever hoped.

Overall, this is a fascinating piece that far exceeded my expectations and proved that in-depth journalism is still alive and breathing in the sports world. I do believe that the whole story is here, even if some of it exists between the lines. Tour de Lance might be the most substantiated true story you’ll read about Lance Armstrong for some time…

A Very Private Gentleman – Martin Booth

$13.97 from Amazon.com

Buy it if: You prefer that your international thrillers be understated, like a subtle French wine. Depth and breadth trump speed and action for you.

Don’t buy it if: You’re the Bacardi-shooter, flaming drink, bullets, sex and acrobatics type of reader. Daniel Craig is your favorite Bond, not Timothy Dalton.

The ‘International Man of Mystery’ novel is hardly an unplumbed depth. In fact, from Jason Bourne to James Bond, there is a multitude of sub-genres that have been written nearly to death. The Gun for Hire, Rogue Agent, Avenging Lover, Patriotic Spy…the list goes on, with only subtle shades between characters and virtually identical traits of physical and intellectual supremacy. This is why Martin Booth’s A Very Private Gentleman stands apart and succeeds.

The premise is not too far removed from the above. We still find a single man, living secretly abroad with a sordid past and a skill set uniquely suited to his profession. But the similarities between Booth and Ian Fleming end there. ‘Mr. Butterfly’ is both less and more than the sum of his professional ability. And with a narrative written in the first person, by a man nearing the end of his career, its approach is one of introspection and consideration weaved into a simple and pragmatic description of life off the grid, a craftsman of death.

‘Craftsman’ is really the best description that can be offered for Butterfly. Though the book takes its time in revealing the exact nature of his profession, it repeatedly alludes to the ‘murder-for-hire’ nature of his work while skillfully avoiding the tired, stock, hitman character. Butterfly has never pulled a trigger for money. In fact, his involvement in the endeavors of The Reaper are far more unique, with the story all the better for it.

Additionally, the story is as much to do with his lifestyle as his profession. From the sleepy bars that line village piazzas to the quiet and gentlemanly brothel he frequents, the book displays a subtly accurate description of rural Italian living. The things noticed by Butterfly are the things we all notice in our lives of waking, eating, loving and generally existing. This will not appeal to those who are seeking a pure action novel, but as a character, the man is utterly fascinating. He works and earns a living, just as we all do. The nature of that work is what gives the narrative its irresistible slant.

As a story, Booth’s book is paced very much like the Italian lives described within: Steady and deliberate, each word is chosen and placed with the care. The emphasis is on detail and subtlety, eschewing fast paced action for action for a tone mirroring the warm, rich Mediterranean lifestyle of the narrator. It’s an unusual take, but very effective. Like a full, complex glass of red wine, the story has to be savored over time to be fully appreciated, but can still be enjoyed by a more casual audience. If you want a rapid fire spy movie poured out across cheap pulp, you should look elsewhere. But for a fulfilling read with depth that demands patience, a compelling twist on an old genre, A Very Private Gentleman is among the best works of fiction I’ve ever enjoyed.