Sprinting Through No Man's Land

Endurance, Tragedy, and Rebirth in the 1919 Tour de France

By: Adin Dobkin

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

The inspiring, heart-pumping true story of soldiers turned cyclists and the historic 1919 Tour de France that helped to restore a war-torn country and its people.

On June 29, 1919, one day after the Treaty of Versailles brought about the end of World War I, nearly seventy cyclists embarked on the thirteenth Tour de France. From Paris, the war-weary men rode down the western coast on a race that would trace the country’s border, through seaside towns and mountains to the ghostly western front. Traversing a cratered postwar landscape, the cyclists faced near-impossible odds and the psychological scars of war. Most of the athletes had arrived straight from the front, where so many fellow countrymen had suffered or died. The cyclists’ perseverance and tolerance for pain would be tested in a grueling, monthlong competition.

An inspiring true story of human endurance, Sprinting Through No Man’s Land explores how the cyclists united a country that had been torn apart by unprecedented desolation and tragedy. It shows how devastated countrymen and women can come together to celebrate the adventure of a lifetime and discover renewed fortitude, purpose, and national identity in the streets of their towns.

©2021 by Adin Dobkin. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Inspiring

i enjoyed the audio version of this book. The print version , although the same book, seemed full of superfluous detail, something not noticable in the audio format.

Excellent account of the race.

I found the blending of the race with the local history of WW1 informative and entertaining.
Excellent reading of the book.

Engaging

I am a cyclist so that surely colors this review. The information and history of this iconic race was fascinating. The way the author integrated the events of WWI and the impact of the war on the land and people was effective and added to the enjoyment. Well researched, written, and performed.

A Story of Hope, Perseverance, and Resilience

Dobkin draws the reader into the race and the land by describing the events of the race and the land it traversed in detail. He included stories of the war, the devastation of the land, and the riders troubles as the raced through the countryside.

As I read I pictured what the land must have looked like compared to what I see when I view the Tour every year. I also saw the devastation created by a war that had filled the land traversed.

If you like history or you like sport, this book is for you.

Emotional and Inspiring

These were truly hard men (and women) in hard times. Well written and performed and worth listening to more than once. If you are a WW1 and Cycling enthusiast you will not be disappointed.