From the Library. Etape: 20 Great Stages from the Modern Tour de France

The Badger in 1980, a bloodied Wilfried Nelissen in 1994, the unlikely Joel Perlier in 1989, Marc Sergeant vs. Frans Maassen and winning by losing in 1992, the ever-combatant Chiappucci in 1992, Freddy Maertens last gasp in 1981 and, of course, the closest Tour finish ever in 1989 count among Moore's most memorable Tour moments. Many of the epic contests in this list are battles between riders, many, maybe most, are also conflicts of personal turmoil, the battle within. Some of the stories end with glorious victory, others horrendous defeat. The stories in Etape are gathered from Moore's remembrances, bolstered with interviews before, during and after. Some of the most interesting parts of the telling are the interviews long after the fact - how the riders have dealt with their "moments" over the passing of years. 

Etape is a good one for the library simply for the history contained in its pages, but it is also good entertainment, a quick and easy read, and fun to compare how some of your own favorite moments relate to the authors', perhaps adding some additional first-hand accounting to what you thought you already knew.

Moore, Richard   Etape: 20 Great Stages from the Modern Tour de France   Boulder, CO: Velo Press, 2014