Book Review - Bob Roll

[jamus]

I'm not associated with this book in any way. I was sent a copy to review and this is the review:

The Tour de France Companion by Bob Roll
Available from Workman Publishing Company
http://www.workman.com $11

This is a paperback which is a preview of the 2004 Tour by Bob Roll.

If you are an ardent Tour fan you probably already know most of the stuff that Bob goes into about the Tour except the reviews of the important individual stages.

If you are a Bob Roll fan like I am then you could buy the book just to get some of Bob's over the top descriptions of Tour stuff such as "It would be only a slight overstatement to say that the maillot jaune is a symbol of triumph in the hardest physical challenge humans have ever invented (at least in the realm of sports)."

Or speaking of Tullio Campagnolo's problems on the Croce d'Aune, he said that Tullio shouted, "Bisogno cambia qualcosa de drio!" (Something back there must change!) - I'm sure that Tullio was shouting something quite different as his frozen fingers refused to loosen the wingnuts then used to remove wheels. But Campagnolo was hardly likely to repeat such in polite company so the story changed.

I liked the book though it reads like a good magazine article from the golden age of magazines - say the late 40's - when journalism was more important than advertisements.

The Bob Roll phenomena shows no signs of letting up and perhaps I'll be able to get a ride in with Bob one of these days when my saddle sores heal and he happens to come back to his home town.

Here's to Bob and long may he report bicycle racing on TV! And keep the books coming Bob. How about the story behind that picture on 118 of you topping the Col de la Columbiere?

[PhishyPhil420]

That's exactly what I'm saying.

[PhishyPhil420]

On 05/31/2004 01:44 PM, in article

And yet at your best, you would never have been able to touch even a washed-up Roberto Panini/Il Vecchio Bobcchi

[Dark_youth]

So you're saying that rather than saving $11 I'm actually only saving $8.76?

[jamus]

Hey Craig, Bob and I both hail from Oakland, CA. While he was frightening people in north Oakland I was in east Oakland but I AM a bit older.

Bob got his legs from the Oakland hills rides and not from Durango where he went after he was washed up.

[dgrabow]

Shouldn't it be called "The Tour Day France Companion"? ;-)

[PhishyPhil420]

On 05/27/2004 11:57 AM, in article

[rickZ]

(AP) Today thousands of the followers of Bob "Bobke" Roll took to the streets of cities across the nation, storming into book stores and demanding their copies of the much sought after Tour de France
Companion. To chants of "Tour Day France" they subsequently sacked and pillaged book stores where surly staff and said they never heard of a Boob-key and suggested customers might rather buy books concerning real sports such as baseball or football. As supplies at those stores, which had ordered the book, ran thin others were put to flame and effigies of store managers were hung in public squares.
Tonight Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Seattle are in flames as
National Guard forces depleated by war in the Persian Gulf attempt to restore order.