Vuelta Skelter: Riding the Remarkable 1941 Tour of Spain

In the midst of a global pandemic, Tim Moore sets out to retrace the 4,409km route of Julian Berrendero's 1941 victory in the Vuelta a Espana, a tale of brutal heat and lonely roads, glory, humiliation, and then more humiliation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 12 August 2021
Publisher: Vintage Publishing

The captivating story of Julian Berrendero's remarkable victory in the 1941 Vuelta a Espana, which took place after he had spent 18 months in Franco's concentration camps as punishment for expressing Republican sympathies during the civil war, is the subject of Tim Moore's epic and ill-advised trilogy of cycling's Grand Tours. Moore, a perpetual over-ambitious cyclo-adventurer, developed a fascination with Berrendero's story and embarked on a journey to retrace the 4,409km route of his 1941 triumph, despite the backdrop of a global pandemic.

What follows is a tale of brutal heat and lonely roads, of glory, humiliation, and then a bit more humiliation. Along the way, Tim recounts the civil war's still-vivid tragedies and encounters the gregarious but impressively responsible locals, torn between welcoming their nation's only foreign visitor and bundling him and his filthy bike into a vat of antiviral gel.

This captivating and heart-wrenching journey is brought to life through Tim's vivid storytelling, which captures the essence of the Spanish countryside and the complexities of the civil war. The reader is transported back to a time of great uncertainty and hardship, where the fate of individuals and nations hung in the balance.

The 1941 Vuelta a Espana was an extraordinary exercise in sporting redemption, and Julian Berrendero's victory is a testament to the human spirit's resilience and determination. Tim Moore's journey to retrace his footsteps is a tribute to the legacy of Berrendero and a reminder of the power of sport to inspire and unite people.

In conclusion, Tim Moore's The Spanish Civil War on Two Wheels is a must-read for anyone who loves cycling, history, and the human spirit. It is a story of triumph, resilience, and the indomitable human spirit, and it will leave you inspired and moved.

Weight: 542g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781787333055