A century before Lance Armstrong captured headlines around the
world by winning a record seventh consecutive Tour de France,
another American dominated the world of competitive cycling. His
name was Bobby Walthour, and in the early 1900s he was one of the
world s most famous and highly paid athletes."Life in the
Slipstream" chronicles Walthour s rise from a lowly bicycle
messenger in Georgia to a two-time national and international
cycling champion who was nearly as popular in Paris and his adopted
home of Berlin as he was in his hometown of Atlanta. His career
parallels the surging popularity of the bicycle in America, and
this biography depicts his life against the backdrop of the bicycle
craze that swept America in the late 1800s and early 1900s.Readers
will experience the rough-and-tumble world of professional cycling
at the turn of the twentieth century, where deadly accidents and
illicit drugs were commonplace. During Walthour s long career, more
than a dozen of his rivals were killed or permanently injured. He
himself suffered multiple injuries from fractured ribs and
separated collarbones to mangled fingers and concussions and was
twice declared dead as a result of racing accidents. But Walthour s
fortunes on the racing circuit ultimately took a dramatic turn for
the worse when his personal life began to unravel because of drug
abuse and an unhappy marriage that culminated in his attempted
murder by his own wife. "Life in the Slipstream" is an
unforgettable account of the rise and fall of one of the greatest
athletes of the twentieth century.
General
Imprint: |
Potomac Books Inc
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2011 |
First published: |
April 2011 |
Authors: |
Andrew M Homan
|
Dimensions: |
230 x 150 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards
|
Pages: |
280 |
Edition: |
New |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-59797-685-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Sport & Leisure >
Sports & outdoor recreation >
General
Promotions
|
LSN: |
1-59797-685-7 |
Barcode: |
9781597976855 |
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