Gironimo!

Starred review from March 15, 2015
Disgusted by the Lance Armstrong scandal and disappointed in the dispassionate, technology-driven cycling world, British humorist Moore challenges himself to ride the route of the 1914 Giro d'Italia, a grueling 3,000-kilometer race that many consider the most harrowing contest in cycling history. Moore's desire for authenticity begins with a box of century-old bicycle parts and gearwooden rims, wine-cork brake pads, and period clothing among themfrom which he will outfit his bike and himself as closely as possible to the original racers. Luckily for Moore, Italians revere cycling, and as he trundles his way through the route, residents applaud and shout old style to encourage him onward. Moore's journey is peppered with self-deprecating humor, and his interactions with the people he encounters and charming towns he visits are very entertaining. Readers may tire of the repeated references to the state of his intimate parts, but, as in his previous cycling book, French Revolutions (2002), Moore's patented combination of humor and travelogue proves thoroughly engaging.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)