Maglia Rosa 2nd edition: Triumph and Tragedy at the Giro D'Italia (Rouleur) Paperback – June 20, 2013

luv it...the perfect gift to a biker

photos and reading are magnificent. I wished the book re tour de france was as impressive. It is not a "picture" book

I really, really wanted to hate this book. My good friend Bill McGann had been working on his Story of the Giro d'Italia and was about to complete volume one when I learned of this new rival. I thought, "Here we go, another British writer with a love/hate relationship with everything Italian."How wrong I was! I liked the first edition so much we gave copies to our bike tour clients even though the original plan was to feature McGann's book. We couldn't ignore MAGLIA ROSA so we gave away copies of both.The first edition was like a dark-haired Italian beauty. I had a serious crush. Reading the second edition for this review was like going back to see her again and discovering she was even more beautiful, perhaps more voluptuous and certainly more worldly.Perhaps my favorite chapter was "The New Fausto Coppi." I won't spoil it for you here, but though it was the second time I'd read it, I found myself tantalized by the unveiling of the man's life story and wondering again who this cyclist was. Sykes has a great gift: the ability to draw out of these lesser lights of Italian cycling stories that will illuminate the lives they led and the challenges they faced.I don't agree with Herbie on everything in this book, especially his harsh treatment of poor Marco Pantani compared to other Italian cyclists, just as doped, but not nearly as good. I truly believe The Pirate's climbing prowess did not come completely out of a syringe, but I do accept that doping helped him immensely in time trials, without which his Grand Tour victories might have been impossible. His memory deserves better. I also found an error - a photo caption on page 239 where Bernard Hinault is identified as Roberto VisentiniBut overall, especially with this second edition, MAGLIA ROSA now ascends to the top of my list of English-language books about the Giro d'Italia. Herbie sums Il Giro up well: "Through its frequent peaks and troughs it prevails. It will continue to do so because it remains by a distance the most beautiful, and the most captivating, of cycling's great stage races. Quintessentially and resolutely Italian, it is the perfect distillation of the Bel Paese - enthralling, esoteric and frequently unfathomable. That's entirely as it should be, for despite the meddling of those who claim to know better, the Giro is still Italy's race, the country in microcosm. Try, at least once in your life, to experience it for yourself."A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Excellent book about the history and riders of the Giro. Does loose its way a little sometimes, there is use of Italian words and others unfathomable which did not need to be used but otherwise well worth the read.

Quite possibly the best cycling book I have read. I had considered buying this book for a year or so before doing so, the articles written by Herbie Sykes in Pro Cycling magazine convincing me to do so. He really does bring the characters to life, telling the history of the giro in a very engaging and highly entertaining manner. There is some very good scene setting so that the Giro is set in the political and cultural landscape to help set the race into the realities for Italians through the ages. It is all carried off with good humour and a ready wit.

This book goes to prove that the Giro is a tougher race than Le Tour. The "spring" weather does not make way for wimps - anyone who finishes this "Grand Epreuve" deserves a medal.

An excellent book for anyone interested in Italy, Italian cycling and Italian politics. Thought provoking and very well written.

Bought for my son as a present and he found it to be more than a biography but an insight to the times.