Journal.
‘The Rider’ by Tim Krabbé
‘When you see an enemy lying on the ground, what’s your first reaction? To help him to his feet. In road racing, you kick him to death.’
It took twenty five long years for Dutch masterpiece The Rider (De Renner) to be translated into English. Better known on these shores for The Vanishing, Krabbé‘s amazing novel tells the story of the fictitious Tour de Mont Aigoual, narrated by one of its riders, called – like the author – Tim Krabbé.
It’s telling that the title of the book isn’t The Race but rather The Rider, because this is very much a book that explores the psychology of the road racer than the event itself and takes you deep into the struggle between body and mind as both are tested to the full over the course of a draining one day race.
This isn’t a book of chapters, but of kilometers as Krabbé fights his way up and down brutal climbs and frightening descents. As befits a book about a cyclist, its style is economical and purposeful, by turns witty, dream-like and matter of fact, filled with doubt and certainty in equal measure. It explores something I cannot as a humble cycling commuter really comprehend: how cyclists find themselves in the pain, confront weakness – in themselves and in others – and the complex relationship between cyclists as opponents and co-operators.
It’s without a doubt one of the finest, most memorable books I’ve ever read.
More about The Rider:
- Matt Seaton’s review for Rapha
- Suffering appeals to me Matt Seaton interviews the man himself
- The Rider on Amazon
Leave a comment
Commenting is closed for this article.