Stephen Roche had the kind of success in 1987 that any rider could only dream of; taking the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and finally the World Championships. But after lifting that title at the end of the year, his career took a turn for the worse as a result of injury. He would eventually get back to top form, taking a stage win in the Tour in 1992 and a string of other victories including the Four Days of Dunkirk in 1990 and Tour of the Basque Country in 1989 . But the period immediately after '87 was a tough one for the Dubliner, on whose shoulders the rainbow stripes weighed heavily. His case is just one explored in Graham Healy's new book examining the curse of cycling's most famous jersey.
In his new work on the Curse of the Rainbow Jersey, author Graham Healy sets out to explore if, and why, the winner of the coveted bands is doomed by bad luck and barren years after reaching the summit of the sport. He tells a compelling and meticulously researched story that will entertain any cyclist or cycling fan, writes Ronan Fox.
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Most books covering the subject of professional bike racing seek to portray spectacular feats of athleticism or the grandeur of the high mountains. Graham Healy is bucking that trend with his new book, The Curse of the Rainbow Jersey.
This work sets out to take an in-depth look at one of the darker aspects of the pro peloton.
Any author sitting down to tackle the notion that winning the world title inevitably heaps misfortune on a rider could be forgiven for going for cheap drama, sensationalising the many stories often held up as proof of the “curse”. This book thankfully avoids that temptation.
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While laying his cards on the table as to where he stands on the curse very early in this new volume, Healy lays out the case for and against. He even puts some context to the argument by dedicating a chapter to looking at the history of superstitions and curses that abound in other sports.
But this is not a dry debate on whether the winner of the Worlds is forever doomed. Instead, the book brings to life the inside story of tragedy, intrigue, mishap, injury and skullduggery that makes the sport of cycling such a fascinating tapestry.
From the untimely death of Jean Pierre Monseré to the alleged betrayal of his leader by Benoni Beheyt and the barren year of Stephen Roche, the wide and varied history of the sport is represented, although many mightn’t agree that being busted for doping á la Asterloza or Brochard is a bad way for a rider to have their career ended.
The book is slightly limited in the fact that, apart from the shocking case of Isaac Galvez and Dimitri De Fauw, it looks exclusively at the men’s professional version of the title.
It might have been interesting to examine whether the curse affects the holders of the dozens of other rainbow jerseys awarded each year to both male and female champions. But maybe there’s another volume in that.
Graham Healy has produced a compelling, well researched and accessible book. Any fan of cycling will find much to inform and entertain them while they make up their own minds.
The Curse of the Rainbow Jersey by Graham Healy
Published by Breakaway Books, ISBN 978-1-62124-001-3
Available to buy on http://www.amazon.com/The-Curse-Rainbow-Jersey-Superstition/dp/1621240010/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1384512022&sr=8-3&keywords=Graham+healy
Ronan Fox's review was first published on http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/IrishCycling/Home/ and is reproduced here with the permission of An Post.
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