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Ocana (Paperback)
Carlos Arribas; Translated by Adrian Bell, Antonio Cuadrado-Fernandez
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R462
R417
Discovery Miles 4 170
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One of THE 10 MUST-READ CYCLING BOOKS OF 2014 according to the
influential Peloton magazine. This is the story of Luis Ocana, the
champion cyclist whose entire career constantly veered between
heroism and tragedy, always missing out the middle way. Born into
abject poverty during Spain's 'years of hunger' and brought up in
France, throughout his adult life he suffered from the effects of
his childhood malnutrition and the perpetual question of
self-identity - the common lot of the exile - Spanish or French, or
neither one nor the other? Enigmatic and contradictory, Ocana was
driven by a fierce pride, and an all-or-nothing scorn for caution
and careful calculation which made him one of the most dramatically
exciting riders ever.This is a biography that has been a long time
in the making. Carlos Arribas, cycling correspondent of the
newspaper El Pais, and Spain's foremost cycling author, has spent
years compiling the material and admits that, even as a child, he
was affected by Ocana's repeated misfortunes.What he has written is
more than a conventional biography. He defines it as a
'fictionalised life story', or a 'biographical novel'.All the duly
documented facts are there, but to that solid skeleton has been
added the flesh and blood of imagined (but totally plausible)
conversations, meetings and encounters. These are not mere
decoration; they serve perfectly to recreate the emotions and
recollections of those who knew him, encountered him, loved him, or
coped with him. It also provides a compelling entry into exploring
the complex personality of Ocana himself."If I was going to write
one story about cycling it would have to be that of Ocana. He was
the cyclist who made us fall in love with cycling, who made us
sense the truth of this sport: love, happiness and tragedy." Carlos
Arribas
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