Slaying the Badger, Richard Moore
Slaying the Badger, Richard Moore
List: $17.99 | Sale: $12.59
Club: $8.99

Slaying the Badger
Greg LeMond, Bernard Hinault, and the Greatest Tour de France

Author: Richard Moore

Narrator: Shaun Grindell

Unabridged: 11 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/30/2017


Synopsis

Bernard Hinault is "Le Blaireau," the Badger. Tough as old boots, he is the old warrior of the French peloton, as revered as he is feared for his ferocious attacks. He has won five Tours de France, marking his name into the history books as a member of cycling's most exclusive club.

Yet as the 1986 Tour de France ascends into the mountains, a boyish and friendly young American named Greg LeMond threatens the Badger—and France's entire cycling heritage.

The stakes are high. Winning for Hinault means capping his long cycling career by becoming the first man to win the Tour six times. For LeMond, a win will bring America its first Tour de France victory. So why does their rivalry shock the world?

LeMond and Hinault ride for the same team.

Asked by a reporter why he attacked his own teammate, the Badger replies, "Because I felt like it." and "If he doesn't buckle, that means he's a champion and deserves to win the race. I did it for his own good."

LeMond becomes paranoid, taking other riders' feed bags in the feed zone and blaming crashes on sabotage. Through it all, with the help of his American teammate Andy Hampsten, LeMond becomes the first American to win the Tour de France.

About Richard Moore

Richard Moore is a journalist and award-winning author. His first book, In Search of Robert Millar, won Best Biography at the 2008 British Sports Book Awards. His second book, Heroes, Villains & Velodromes, was long-listed for the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Eamon on October 05, 2024

I know what it's like to suffer from the effects of a bad peach on the bike......more

Goodreads review by Steve on January 23, 2015

Alas, a familiar - in many ways, iconic - story subjected to an uninspired re-telling. Accordingly, a source of disappointment (but entertaining enough that it wasn't a burden to get through it). In all fairness, it's hard to be an objective audience for this project. Although I'm older than the auth......more

Goodreads review by Forest on July 31, 2016

This year I decided to follow the Tour de France. I didn't want to slog through something as (potentially?) boring as TdF for dummies, but still wanted to learn a bit more about it, so I picked up Slaying the Badger. What I didn't know at the time is what a big deal Bernard "the Badger" Hinault or t......more