My Epic Fall from Cycling Superstardom to Doping Dead End
September 1, 2017
The rise and fall of a superstar athlete makes for intriguing drama, but in the world of professional cycling, it's especially tragic due to the typically low salaries and the life-threatening competition requiring riders to descend narrow, winding roads at speeds as fast as a car with only a helmet and thin racing kit to protect them from potential impact. Dekker's subtitle aptly sums up this tell-all memoir by the former professional Dutch cyclist, who served a two-year suspension for doping offenses. Like many well-known athletes, he succumbed to pressures of corruption and the temptations of drugs and prostitutes. Similar to David Millar's Racing through the Dark (2012), this is a vividly detailed cautionary account of the corruption in the professional cycling world that not only exposes Dekker's own doping practices but also names those who aided him. Sure to satisfy the curiosity of some longtime cycling fans while at the same time disappointing others who want to put the years of rampant doping behind them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)