Chasing Lance - Martin Dugard

In July 2005, over twenty million spectators flocked to France to see if anyone could beat Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France. Among them were hundreds of thousands of Americans - men of a certain age and financial status, mostly - who see the Tour as the ultimate buddy getaway, a jaunt replete with fine wines, delicious meals and lazy mornings under the Provencal sun. There were also huge clumps of Germans, Spaniards, Italians, Dutch - basically every country in Europe, a mini-UN that packed the fields and small towns along the way, showing how one can be drunk in 13 different languages. A unique combination of travelogue, humour and insider cycling critique (complete with interviews and insights from Armstrong), CHASING LANCE will be the only book to bring into focus the entire Tour experience. For those who love Peter Mayle's tales of Provence, this will be a wonderful book about France. For those who love John Feinstein, this will be a wonderful book about sport and for those who love great writing, CHASING LANCE will enthrall and entertain.