{"product_id":"9781472945068","title":"The Beast, the Emperor and the Milkman : A Bone-shaking Tour through Cycling’s Flemish Heartlands","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Beast, the Emperor and the Milkman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Harry Pearson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA journey through the wild madness of bicycle racing in Flanders.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A joy.' – Ned Boulting\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvery nation shapes sport to test the character traits it most admires.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Beast, the Emperor and the Milkman\u003c\/i\u003e, committed Belgophile and road cycling obsessive Harry Pearson takes you on a journey across Flanders, through the lumpy horizontal rain, up the elbow juddering cobbled inclines, past the fans dressed as chickens and the shop window displays of constipation medicines, as he follows races big, small and even smaller through one glorious, muddy spring.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRanging over 500 years of Flemish and European history, across windswept polders, along back roads and through an awful lot of beer cafes, Pearson examines the characters, the myths and rivalries that make Flanders a place where cycling is a religion and the riders its lycra-clad priests.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An \u003cb\u003eenormously entertaining\u003c\/b\u003e cycling journal” —\u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Absolutely splendid ... \u003cb\u003efull of wonderful things\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eRhod Sharp, BBC Radio 5 Live\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Harry Pearson's class and wit were the reason I wanted to start writing in the first place. To read his words on cycling and Flanders, two of the best things in the world, is \u003cb\u003ea joy\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eNed Boulting\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Entertaining” —\u003ci\u003eRichard Williams, The Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The ever amiable Harry Pearson invites us to accompany him on a tour of Flanders ... [the cyclists' stories] illuminate the landscape and history of this little understood pocket of Europe.” —\u003ci\u003eGuardian Books of the Year\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A \u003cb\u003ewitty, engaging\u003c\/b\u003e guide to the spring bike races in Flanders ... [Pearson] \u003cb\u003ecovers a lot of quirky historical ground\u003c\/b\u003e in his \"bone-shaking tour\".” —\u003ci\u003eTelegraph Books of the Year\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781472945068\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Sport","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40735769690318,"sku":"9781472945068","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_0adf69ef-e1b2-4438-baf1-b0176476c2d1.jpg?v=1641273666","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781472945068","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}