Kings of the Mountains by Matt Rendell

Part of the allure of cycling is that since it is done outdoors and not in a stadium a big part of the sport is it’s connection with the people, culture, and geography of the roads they race over. The best writers that cover the sport like Samuel Apt give as much attention to the towns and people that follow the race as to the winners of the race. One book that is more about the country then the racers is Kings of the Mountains by Matt Rendell. This great book is about Columbia and its bike racing history as well as its history in the past 60 years.

Columbia is the only third world country so far to have a impact on pro bike racing. From the 50’s bike racing has been the national sport of Columbia though in the past decade or so both soccer and Formula One racing have become as big if not bigger. This book tells the story of Columbia of the past 60 years from the political turmoil and drug trade and how it has influenced the races and racers. It mostly concentrates on the Vuelta a Columbia. From Fausto Coppi racing there to the Santiago Botero. The best part is probably the high point in Columbia racing history of the amateur team competing in the Tour de France in the mid 80s, before turning pro. When Herrara won at Alpe d’Huez in 1984 he was the first amateur to win a stage in the Tour and what a stage it was!

After finishing this you can’t help, but start to root for all the current Columbia racers from established vets Santiago Botero and Victor Huge Pena to new starts Marico Ardila and Ivan Para.

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