Slaying the Badger: Greg LeMond, Bernard Hinault, and the Greatest Tour de France

Written by Richard Moore

Narrated by Shaun Grindell

Bernard Hinault is "Le Blaireau," the Badger. Tough as old boots, he is the old warrior of the French peloton, as revered as he is feared for his ferocious attacks. He has won five Tours de France, marking his name into the history books as a member of cycling's most exclusive club.



Yet as the 1986 Tour de France ascends into the mountains, a boyish and friendly young American named Greg LeMond threatens the Badger—and France's entire cycling heritage.



The stakes are high. Winning for Hinault means capping his long cycling career by becoming the first man to win the Tour six times. For LeMond, a win will bring America its first Tour de France victory. So why does their rivalry shock the world?



LeMond and Hinault ride for the same team.



Asked by a reporter why he attacked his own teammate, the Badger replies, "Because I felt like it." and "If he doesn't buckle, that means he's a champion and deserves to win the race. I did it for his own good."



LeMond becomes paranoid, taking other riders' feed bags in the feed zone and blaming crashes on sabotage. Through it all, with the help of his American teammate Andy Hampsten, LeMond becomes the first American to win the Tour de France.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Apr 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781541473355

Richard Moore

Richard Moore is a freelance journalist who has written on sport, art and literature, contributing to the Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, Herald, Guardian and Sunday Times. He was a member of the Scotland team in the Prutour, the nine-day cycling tour of Britain, and represented Scotland in the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Reviews for Slaying the Badger

[Joe Yaeger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting to read about French leadership of the tour in the past, considering French results of this years Tour.

[wbc3_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book explores the world of professional cycling through the lives of two great competitors and their rivalry during the 1986 Tour de France. The French Bernard Hinault was a grizzled veteran and winner of a record-tying five Tours de France. Greg LeMond was a young, free-spirited American with seemingly limitless potential. What makes their rivalry even more compelling is that they were on the same team. The resulting clash made that Tour de France arguably the greatest one ever. And, it made this book a joy to read. As such, it was a marked contrast to another cycling book about a five-time Tour winner, Sex, Lies, and Handlebar Tape (see my critique in my last set of book reviews). Moore does a great job of giving glimpses into the lives and motivations of LeMond and Hinault, rather than just recounting the events. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in cycling or understanding what drives competitive athletes. The book is rewarding and well worth the time to read it.

[wlshirer-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For those that are interested in cycling and the Tour de France, this book provides an in depth behind the scenes portrayal of both Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond. Anecdotes are provided by fellow team members.

I already knew the basic intrigue between Lemond and Hinault in the 1986 Tour, and it is a good story. What I found really interesting was the fact that everyone who was on Hinault's teams found him to to be a great teammate. This is surprising given his nickname, his appearance and his attitude.