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angel of the mountains - the strange tale of charly gaul. paul maunder. quercus hardback 307pp illus. £22

i can think of only one velocipedinal colleague who favoured sprinters over climbers. there could be any number of reasons for this, though in his case, i believe it was his efforts to emulate that particular breed of cyclist. from an audience point of view, grimpeurs offer more bang for buck, so to speak. no matter the constitution of each successive year's grand tours, there will be mountains in varying quantity, all of which are likely to take several hours to ascend, inevitably splitting the peloton into a large number of relatively slow-moving groups of riders. if you've taken the trouble to travel as witness to one such stage, particularly at the roadside of a mountain-top finish, watching your heroes pass-by is often a lengthy process.

having cycled to dublin in 1998 to watch the start of that particular tour de france, it was somewhat alarming to watch the sprinters - including mario cipollini - demolish the finishing straight in mere seconds, after a long day of awaiting their arrival. of course, it could also be the masochistic realisation that the much avowed 'pain and suffering' - 40 years' of which were celebrated by rapha just over a week ago - can be seen at closer quarters and often slower speeds. and while i mentioned it, the 1998 tour de france was eventually won, three weeks later, by noted climber, marco pantani. and as if to prove the esteem in which climbers are held, despite clear knowledge of pantani's usage and abusage of dubious substances, the diminutive italian continues to be popular today. perhaps i can shorten the rhetoric by acknowledging that climbers are 'a bit different', possibly explaining why, 66 years after he finished victorious in the tour de france, author paul maunder has chosen to celebrate the career of luxembourger, charly gaul.

unlike many of his contemporaries, the life of gaul seems shrouded in mystery, though maybe more for his post retirement affectations, than those that comprised his successful career. the possibility that this book may or may not result in a happy ending, is further obscured in maunder's introduction: "This is a book about the problems that sporting success can bring." unlike today's professionals, whose nutritional regimes would appear to all but ensure a lengthy career, gaul retired from professional cycling in 1965, experiencing a career that, despite winning the 1959 giro d'italia, appeared to be in some decline during the late 1950s. he was also renowned for emulating his nickname angel of the mountains whenever the weather turned foul. in fact, the worse, the better as far as he was concerned.

"Gaul was eighteen years old and climbing one of the highest mountain passes in Europe on a wet day, with temperatures in single digits near the top. Perversely, this cheered him."

gaul's career is impressive, winning the giro d'italia in 1955 and 1959, as well as the tour de france of 1958. he also won the climber's jersey in both grand tours, as well as standing atop the podium in the tour of luxembourg in 1956, 1959 and 1961. when he was riding well, he enjoyed the approbation of his fans, but his skin which was tough enough to withstand severly inclement weather when riding, was too thin to be at ease with the disparagement he received when his prowess deserted him, particulary in warmer weather.

though 'angel of the mountains' is quite markedly about the career of charly gaul, the author has scarcely shied away from detail concerning several of his adversaries, particularly that of louison bobet, including not only his cycling prowess, but by comparison, how the frenchman coped highly successfully with retirement. it is a valid comparison, given that bobet announced the ending of his own career as a professional three years ahead of gaul, perhaps offering a graphic example. in fact, despite his impressive list of victories over a nine-year professional career, gaul may be more notoriously renowned for how he behaved after hanging up his wheels. here, the author injects a welcome appraisal of what actually happened in those lost years.

legend has it that gaul retreated from civilisation to a cave in the mountains, living as a heavily-bearded hermit, but it seems that the truth may be less melodramatic. according to maunder. following the establishment of a career as an inn-keeper, two years after his final race "...it soon became clear that Charly was not cut out for hospitality." and he ultimately left his second wife, nicole, and disappeared. however, just like the actress with which maunder compares him, greta garbo, "Charly Gaul did not really disappear." in fact, he moved into a holiday home near the village of lipperscheld, building a fence round the property and grew vegetables in his allotment. as maunder writes, "His disappearance was from public view. No longer did he turn up at bike races as a spectator..."

though undoubtedly adding to the legend that is charly gaul, it does seem quite in keeping with his personality as a rider. following his re-discovery and emergence from hermitacy, he regained most, if not all of the popularity he once had as a rider, and, eventually, a very satisfactory family life.

paul maunder has produced a beautiful testament to the life of charly gaul, one of cycling's secrets, but hidden in plain sight. the narrative is creatively constructed, giving an insight into his career that never feels intrusive, yete celebrates a great rider for all his idiosyncracies. the book is cushioned from the back cover by an explanatory set of notes, commendable bibliography and extensive index. what more could a cycling aficionado demand?

tuesday 1 october 2024