{"title":"Graham Healy","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the captivating world of Graham Healy, where thrilling narratives and compelling characters await. Perfect for fans seeking gripping mysteries and suspenseful adventures, explore his acclaimed works.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"shattered-peloton-book-graham-healy-9781621240112","title":"The Shattered Peloton","description":"A fascinating, mind-boggling account of young athletes in their prime destroyed in the hell of war. A mesmerizing view of cycling in its golden age, and the darkness that followed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn June 28, 1914, one hundred and forty-five riders lined up in a suburb of Paris at 3 a.m. to start the first stage of the Tour de France. The race, which had been founded just a decade earlier, had grown to become the biggest bicycle race in the world. The riders did not know it at the time, but as they raced, an event was taking place on the opposite side of Europe which would change all of their lives forever: Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, triggering World War I. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile racing went on in France, a diplomatic crisis had started that would try but fail to avert war. Shortly after the finish of the race, France mobilized its troops and went to war with Germany. The organizer of the Tour de France, Henri Desgrange, despite being fifty years old, enrolled in the army shortly afterwards and encouraged the cyclists to do the same. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe war would see over 16 million soldiers and civilians die. Many of the riders from that Tour de France did not return, and three previous winners of the race would be among those killed in action. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Shattered Peloton tells the story of that Tour de France and what happened to the top cyclists of the day during the course of the war. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA brilliant, disturbing, important book for anyone with an interest in cycling or military history. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49536034373905,"sku":"GOR006286255","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49539036676369,"sku":"GOR013246933","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51039650808081,"sku":"NIN9781621240112","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1621240118.jpg?v=1751024500"},{"product_id":"shay-elliott-book-graham-healy-9781874739593","title":"Shay Elliott","description":"2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Ireland's great road racing champion Shay Elliott, who died in mysterious circumstances at the tragically early age of 36. He was one of the very first English speaking cyclists who made a serious impact in the professional peloton, and his exploits have never been fully appreciated, either in the traditional heartland of cycling or in his own country. The year after Tom Simpson became the first British rider to wear the race-leader's yellow jersey in the Tour de France, Shay repeated the feat for Ireland. And more so - for not only did he take the jersey after winning the stage over the legendary cobbled roads to Roubaix, but he retained it for three days until, like Simpson, he lost it in the time trial. Elliott was also the first from the English speaking countries to win stages in the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana (a race in which he held the race leadership for several days and finished on the podium in third place overall) so becoming one of a mere handful of riders to have won stages in all three Grand Tours. Shay's career and life were punctuated equally by success and glory, and by disappointment and betrayal, and ultimate tragedy. However he left behind a rare legacy in professional cycling which until now has never been substantially documented. This book seeks to redress that lack. A decade after his death Ireland produced two exceptional riders, Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche, whose achievements surpassed those of Shay Elliott, but Shay was the first, and will always remain so.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49597159506193,"sku":"GOR004811759","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51421567680785,"sku":"CIN1874739595G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1874739595.jpg?v=1750725901"},{"product_id":"curse-of-the-rainbow-jersey-book-graham-healy-9781621240013","title":"The Curse of the Rainbow Jersey","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Curse of the Rainbow Jersey is a peculiar lens on the history of professional cycling. It examines the infamous curse associated with wearers of the tunic awarded to the winner of the World Cycling Championships.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe opening chapters look at how the curse originated with the death of Stan Ockers in 1955, other famous sports curses (including Curse of the Bambino, the US Masters Par 3 curse, and the curse placed on the Australian soccer team by a witch doctor), and also the history of the world cycling championships.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe main body of the book is comprised of chapters dedicated to particular wearers of the rainbow jersey who were struck by misfortune, personal tragedy, or death. Examples include Paolo Bettini, whose brother died in a car crash on the way to a party to celebrate Paolo's win; Jean-Pierre Monsere, who died in a race while wearing the jersey; and Tommy Simpson, who died while racing two years after being crowned champion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe ill fortune visited upon wearers of the rainbow jersey is bizarre and tragic; but is it anything more than random chance? The final chapter of the book evaluates whether this level of bad luck is higher than for any other sample of humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA chilling look at the history of cycling, sure to fascinate any fan of the sport.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGraham Healy is a cyclist and journalist living in Dublin, Ireland.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50109373972753,"sku":"GOR007193980","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51039461769489,"sku":"NIN9781621240013","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1621240010.jpg?v=1751432785"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-graham-healy.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}