The Rider by Tim Krabbe Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Rider
Book Review: Great story!
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is very well written. At times, I felt like I was actually there to experience the events. I even learned some things about racing strategies from this book. I fell in love with this sport all over again.Book Review: Imaginative and Uncompromising
Summary: 5 Stars
I have yet to read any of Tim Krabbé's other books but after finishing The Rider I am forced to seek them out. After reading the six or so sample pages here on Amazon I immediately recognized Krabbé's playful and abrupt style. It is like listening to a jazz solo. He jumps around his point, using fluttering digressions of introspection and observation to represent cycling's personal effect on him. I was a little sad when I got to page 148 and the ride ended, but I understand that this style is suited more by the narrative poetic form and length. Read the sample pages and if you enjoy their quirkiness buy the book. If you are put off by the style or find it annoying then you will probably not enjoy the book, even if you get something out of it.
This story is valuable primarily for it's insight into road racing. There are plenty of well used references, antidotes about historic cycling figures, and general bike culture perspective to entice the already bike minded. However, these are not just off-hand comments, every reference is dealt with a philosophic tone and this is definitely a book worthy of re-reading, another likeness to a good poem.
Krabbé looks so astutely into the mind of a cyclist that any type of serious bike rider with be able to relate and form a dialogue. Before reading this book I was primarily a mountain biker and weary of road riding a boring an purely physical pursuit. Krabbé shows the inter-rider dynamics of road racing. I became genuinely excited about the next big climb or a break away. The story is quite suspenseful at times. Throughout the race several riders are profiled from Krabbé's past knowledge of them, he talks about what kind of riders they are and what he expects them to do in this race. When he is unaware of their place in the break or peloton so too is the reader left wondering. It is an involving perspective that protrudes a sense of yurning uneasiness and anticipation.
While his vantage point is subjective it is honest to the narrative style and does not relapse into the stereotypical characters many authors end up creating. Krabbé keeps his edge throughout the book and does not fall into a formulaic trap.
IT IS WORTH IT IF YOU LIKED THE SAMPLE AND ENJOY EITHER BIKES OR QUIRKY SHORT-STORY WRITING.
Book Review: It's A Ride To The Sun, And A Ride To Zen
Summary: 5 Stars
Tim Krabbe, from Holland, is a much beloved writer by his country men and women. His books "The Vanishing" and "The Cave" have become known world wide, and made into very successful movies. He started out in life knowing he had to be a winner. His first love was that of chess. He played chess, he wrote books on chess, he joined tournaments, and then he realized he would never be the winner he wanted to be. So, at the age of 29, he turned to bicycle racing.
Through out his life, Tim Krabbe,also realized he had to write. No matter what he was involved in, he had to write. In this book "De renner" or "The Rider', he has made literary history. The book was written in 1978 and has become a cult classic. This is a fascinating book, a half-day race, 150km, of the love of bicycle racing, and the love of relating the life of racing.
"It's a ride to the sun, and a ride to Zen-the definitive abc of sports, an encyclopedia, a literary masterpiece, an adventure novel and bicycling odyssey all rolled into one," one book critic wrote. Tim Krabbe tells of us his life as a cyclist all rolled up into a small book of 129 pages. The prose that rolls out of his mouth onto the paper of the book is memorable. This is a book that begs to be read again and again. He tells us of a fantasy of riding with bicycle's best and besting them all by winning the race. Throughout this half day race, we learn how to put the bicycle together and take it apart. We learn all about gears, and what to use, when. We learn what he eats before he starts the race, where to put his hands on the handle bars and how to choose the bicycle seat. The men he races with, the fans that turn out and scream encouragement for all of their favorites. The cafes, the bars,and the major developments of racing. And through out this race, instead of chapters the book is divided into kilometers of the race. We end at Kilometer 137, when he crosses the finish line. Was he the first, third, or tenth? Gotcha' you need to read this book, and you will love it.
This is not a book that is a metaphor for life. It is a book of the racing life and how this life takes over. I understand for the first time, how a racer's blood becomes attuned to the race, the speed, the climbs, the straights, the finish line, the Win!
"Whenever I hit absolute rock bottom I always think of those immortal words from De renner by Tim Krabbé-Batoowoo Creakcreak-and everything seems just fine again."
Maarten Ducrot, bicycle racer
Highly recommended. Prisrob "Batoowoo Creakcreak"
Book Review: Krabbe gets it right
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an incredible work, considering that Krabbe is a non-cyclist. Every time I read "The Rider" I am impressed by his ability to capture the experiences of bicycle racing.
If you are a competitive cyclist, or just a cycling enthusiast, Krabbe's work is a must-read.
Book Review: Less is More
Summary: 5 Stars
Best cycling novel ever (2nd best is Ralph Hurne's "The Yellow Jersey", despite flaws). 'Rider' is extremely engrossing. Can be read in one or two evenings. Cannot be put down. Evoked every emotion I've encountered while racing a bicycle.