The Badger The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling

Bernard Hinault is one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He is a five-time winner of the Tour de France and the only man to have won each of the Grand Tours on more than one occasion.
 
In The Badger, bestselling author William Fotheringham finally gets to the bottom of this fascinating character and explores the reasons why France, the nation that considers itself cycling’s home, has found it so hard to produce a successor. Hinault was the last "old-school" champion: a larger-than-life character from a working-class background, capable of winning on all terrains, in major Tours and one-day Classics. Nicknamed "The Badger" for his combative style, he led a cyclists’ strike in his first Tour and instigated a legendary punch-up with demonstrators in 1982 while in the middle of a race. Hinault's battles with teammates Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond provide some of the greatest moments in Tour history, and here they are made vivid once again.

William Fotheringham is the cycling correspondent at the Guardian, covering the Tour de France as well as the Olympic Games. He is the author of Half Man, Half Bike: The Life of Eddy Merckx, Cyclopedia: It’s All About the Bike, Fallen Angel, and Put Me Back on My Bike.