Tim Krabbé was the only man to have very nearly been both a chess Grandmaster and a professional cyclist. Despite failing to achieve this noble aim, he did write an absolutely brilliant book about the psychology of amateur cycle racing.
The Rider (affiliate links: UK
The best description of race day, ever
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Sounds interesting
It is a great book. It’s not a book written by a cyclist or a book about cycling written by a journalist. It’s a book about amateur cycle racing written by a writer and it grabs you from the beginning.
Within the first page and a half, you know exactly what the point of the book is going to be. It’s the start of a cycle race and while we’re waiting for it to start, Krabbé feeds us little pieces of information and we gradually build up a picture of how badly he wants to win.
We first find out that he’s one of the few, perhaps the only rider, to have already gone over the course. Later, he notes that his street clothes will stay on the back seat of his car until either he puts them back on, or an official collects them following his death during the race…
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So it’s just about a bike race?
Not at all. Before we can get too drawn into the race, Krabbé is already off telling tales of Tour de France riders, of their peculiarities and predilections, of the things they did to keep their morale strong while riding.
He lurches seamlessly from one topic to another. But it’s all about how the cyclists try to manipulate their own minds and the minds of their opponents.
Now he’s remarking on that strange phenomenon of amateur sportsmen, how they like to talk about how little training they’ve been doing. One day, he tells us, he went into the dressing room and said “Guys, I’ve been training my butt off.” There was shocked silence. He has to reassure them he is joking, lest they believe him.
Gradually, in this way, Krabbé introduces us to the idea that cycle racing is much like poker on wheels, or as he likes to call it, chess on wheels…
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How does he do that then?
Well, in this race, there are various opponents. Each is a different type of cyclist and has weaknesses and strengths. Many of them are physically strong but lack either the mental strength to fight when the race turns hard or the killer instinct to ride off when the other riders are starting to tire.
Other cyclists have the killer instinct but their approach is so single-minded and determined that they are almost outcast by the other riders. They take no turns at the front of the peloton and do as little as they can to conserve their strength. Krabbé notes that they have understood much of what is important about cycle racing but their careers will be short because the other riders won’t trust them.
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I don’t cycle. Will I enjoy this book?
Definitely. If you have any streak of competitive nature in you about any sport, you can’t fail to get excited by this story of determination and desperation.
