A Clean Break

February 1, 2015

Professional cyclist Bassons penned his autobiography Positif in 2000, after being driven out of the sport for refusing to take performance-enhancing drugs. Since Lance Armstrong's recent admission to years of doping, Bassons--dubbed the sport's "Mr. Clean"--has updated his account, now translated from French. Bassons describes himself as a "dumb bumpkin, the innocent up from the sticks," who was unwilling to go along with the pervasive culture of the peloton, in which winning at all costs was the goal. When Bassons refused to take performance-enhancing drugs, he was shunned by both teammates and competitors and singled out by Armstrong, who bullied him "in a very merciless and venomous fashion," as someone who was an embarrassment to the sport. Bassons maintains that the level of doping was widespread and tolerated by both team officials and the sport's governing bodies. He even describes an instance when he witnessed pills spilling from a cyclist's pocket during a race. VERDICT For readers interested in an up-close and in-depth account of doping in French professional cycling, this thoughtful book tells a tale of unrelenting peer pressure to give in to the needle. Those seeking additional insight into the fall of Armstrong will need to look elsewhere.--Susan Belsky, Oshkosh P.L., WI

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