God is Dead

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022

Andy McGrath

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English

Penguin (Transworld)
20 May 2023

Biography: sport; True stories; Cycling

The remarkable untold story of the mercurial cycling prodigy Frank Vandenbroucke, written by William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath.

.SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022. .

A SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE TIMES AND THE GUARDIAN.

The remarkable untold story of the mercurial cycling prodigy Frank Vandenbroucke, written by William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath.

They called him God. For his grace on a bicycle, for his divine talent, for his heavenly looks. Frank Vandenbroucke had it all, and in the late Nineties he raced with dazzling speed and lived even faster.

The Belgian won several of cycling's most illustrious races, including Li ge-Bastogne-Li ge, Paris-Nice and Ghent-Wevelgem. He was a mix of poise and panache who enthralled a generation of cycling fans. Off the bike, he only had one enemy - himself. Vandenbroucke dabbled in nocturnal party sessions mixing sleeping pills and alcohol and regularly fell out with team managers. By 1999 his team had suspended him and this proved to be the start of a long, eventful fall from grace. Depression, a drug ban, addiction, car crashes, divorce and countless court appearances subsumed his life. He threatened his wife with a gun. He tried to commit suicide twice. And when police found performance-enhancing drugs at his house, Vandenbroucke said they were for his dog.

It seemed he had finally learned from his mistakes. Then, on 12 October 2009, aged just 34, Vandenbroucke was found dead in a hotel room in Senegal.

Guided by exclusive contributions from his family, friends and team-mates, William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath lays bare Vandenbroucke's chaotic, complicated life and times. God is Dead is the remarkable biography of this mercurial cycling prodigy.

By: Andy McGrath
Imprint: Penguin (Transworld)
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 221g
ISBN: 9780552176040
ISBN 10: 0552176044
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 20 May 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Andy McGrath is the managing editor of Rouleur Magazine. Having previously worked at Cycling Weekly and Cycle Sport, he has also written on cycling for The Guardian and Financial Times. He is the co-author of Official Treasures of the Tour de France, has contributed chapters to several volumes of The Cycling Anthology, and is the author of Tom Simpson- Bird on the Wire, which won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017.

Reviews for God is Dead: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022

How doping killed cycling's 'golden boy'. A shocking, clear-sighted and sympathetic account of a talent destroyed by drugs. -- Melanie Reid * The Times * 'With his talent, Frank is the Johan Cruyff of cycling. He could win anything.' * Eddy Merckx * A stunning biography of this troubled individual. 320 pages of brilliance. * Washing Machine Post * Superb. A riveting, warts-an-all dive into a complex, deeply flawed rider and man during professional cycling's lowest ebb. * Cycling Plus * The fact that we know the tragically opaque ending of this story from the start is what lends such a devastating quality to McGrath's careful biography. Soberly told and with a clear affection for its wayward subject, McGrath's account explores the narcotically corrupting power of sport itself. -- Jonathan Liew * Guardian *