Coppi (Rouleur) Hardcover – March 1, 2013

it's an interesting book with outstanding photo's of day's gone by; more about other less known riders than of coppi himself, which is basically what the author intended. it's worth buying if you enjoy cycling history and the numerous characters that made the so called golden era of the sport.

Interesting method of telling his story. Short essays of other pro riders of the day giving their personal take on the man. Lots of great photos. This book is HEAVY, as in weight. Pictures are not captioned, but connected to the essays. Well done.

Great pictures. Interesting and unique way to put together a biography - by compiling the writings ofother cycling contemporaries of Coppi. I was disappointed to hear so many of those contemporarieshave critical thoughts about Gino Bartali however.

In his introduction Herbie Sykes claims he didn't want to ever write a book about Fausto Coppi. I believe him, but I'm glad he decided otherwise, for while I'll suggest this NOT be the first book you read about the "champion of champions", perhaps it should be the last.Sykes' work is far from just another biography of the famous Italian cyclist, but rather a look at the man himself through rare photographs along with the words of his gregari and rivals, who sometimes were both during their careers.It's difficult to say which part of the book is more illuminating or entertaining, the many never-seen-before (and trust me I have a LOT of books about Coppi!) photos or the evocative accounts of life and competition, both for and against the man many claim revolutionized the sport during what is arguably the "golden age of cycling".Much has been written about Coppi's famous rivalry with Gino Bartali, but this book sheds what to me is a new light on this as well as the character of Coppi's older team captain and later rival. In most of the books I've read about this rivalry, Bartali is painted as a gruff but warm and almost saintly figure, while Coppi is the cold, modern man. The accounts in COPPI paint a far different picture.The book's format is made up of short chapters based on interviews the author did with these old bike racers, most of them Italian, inserted between pages of rarely seen photos from various archives. Sykes' mission was to record their memories while the racers were still around to recount them. Sykes, also author of Maglia Rosa, did a great job translating them into English, then putting them into writing.The stories are perfectly complemented by the rare, archival photos, my only complaint being the captions are buried in the back with the photography credits instead of included on the relevant pages.By all means, read the other, more biographical accounts of the life and career of Il Campionissimo, but as they say, save the best for last.Disclaimer: This book was furnished by the publisher for review purposes.

Great coffee table book that tells us about Coppi from those who rode with them. A picture is definitely worth a thousand words

This is one of the best books on Fausto Coppi with some really wonderful old black and white photographs of him in action. I've read a lot of rubbishy books on Coppi but I found this one really interesting and insightful of the man and his life. Its great to read what other riders of his time thought of him, which is something you don't get from other books on Coppi. As one of my boyhood heroes he was the greatest of them all at the time. I even bought a Bianchi frame when I first started road racing which got quite a lot of envious looks during that period. Thanks for publishing this book even though its a bit pricey. An excellent book to dip into when you have a feeling of nostalgia for the good old days of cycle racing.

The book is a well thought through work which introduces you to the mortal riders who surrounded the majestic Coppi. In being constructed from sensitive interviews given from a carefully selected ever dwindling pool of Coppi contempories, it paints a very realistic picture of the harshness of the Italian racing scene among the workers. As in his previous works the author has scowered modern Italy to find these aged still lucid old men. The writing is so impressively faithful in carrying to paper the character of the interviewee that when coupled with the wonderful photographs I could almost hear the old boy speaking directly to me in rustic Italian. This book could be described as a " just in time " venture for during the period of time from requesting, setting up and taking the interviews, father time got the better of several potential contributors. In one case the interview was 7/8th completed when a halt was called due to tiredness. His son being so pleased with the way Herbie had coaxed from his dying father the tales of his exciting youth asked if it could still be used. JUST IN TIME. Fausto, from the horses mouth's, comes out as decent sort of chap with one or two exceptions !!!

I have been fascinated by the 'myth' and legend of Fausto Coppi. This is a book which seeks out the opinions of the cyclists who rode with him and against him. It seemed that no one had a bad word for Il Campionissimo. The photographs are superb. Most interested in the story of Coppi will have read the biographies but this is quite different. It has become one of my treasured books.

A very enjoyable book. Its perhaps not the best place to start if a definitive story of Coppi is what you're after. What you get are numerous vintage photographs which roughly follow his career as a cyclist to his death. I particularly enjoyed the mini essays from his team mates - which not only gave their personal insight into Coppi, but also of an Italy pre and post WWII. In summary, a great book for anyone who has even just a passing interest in Fausto Coppi.