Vuelta Skelter cover art

Vuelta Skelter

Riding the Remarkable 1941 Tour of Spain

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Vuelta Skelter

By: Tim Moore
Narrated by: Tim Moore
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Tim Moore completes his epic (and ill-advised) trilogy of cycling's Grand Tours.

Julian Berrendero's victory in the 1941 Vuelta a Espana was an extraordinary exercise in sporting redemption: the Spanish cyclist had just spent 18 months in Franco's concentration camps, punishment for expressing Republican sympathies during the civil war. Seventy-nine years later, perennially over-ambitious cyclo-adventurer Tim Moore developed a fascination with Berrendero's story, and having borrowed an old road bike with the great man's name plastered all over it, set off to retrace the 4,409-km route of his 1941 triumph - in the midst of a global pandemic.

What follows is a tale of brutal heat and lonely roads, of glory, humiliation and then a bit more humiliation. Along the way, Tim recounts the civil war's still-vivid tragedies and finds the gregarious but impressively responsible locals torn between welcoming their nation's only foreign visitor and bundling him and his filthy bike into a vat of antiviral gel.

©2021 Tim Moore (P)2021 Penguin Audio Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Cycling Sports Emotionally Gripping Inspiring

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All stars
Most relevant  
Tim Moore what a hero and an epic journey both physically and back in time.

History and cycling

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Well told story with with humor but also outlines the horror of the Spanish Civil War

as always fine read

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A fan of many of Tim's previous works this was the first audio book of his I took up. It's great! Tim brings the horrors of the Spanish Civil War to life as he travails the country on an old bike in honour of Spain's greatest and grumpiest cyclist. Tim's self deprecating words bring many a smile and a guffaw out loud. It makes you want to do an amazing journey like this yourself, for about 3 seconds. Bien hecho Tim, bien hecho Julian.

bien hecho tim

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Entertaining, amusing, vividly descriptive, informative and thought provoking. Chapeau Tim, chapeau.

Thoroughly recommended whether you are a cyclist or not.

An Excellent Travelogue

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I always enjoy Tim Moore's books. This is no exception as my first listen to him.
Here he tells two parallel tales, one his own, the other of a Spanish cycling great and Franco's Spain, with great aplomb; one can feel the heat, the hardship and the sorrow.
My only gripe is the tone in which he chooses to narrate his own story - it is a bit relentless downbeat for me and I wished for a bit of variety.

Heat and Dust

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Whilst biased because of being a fan, this is another great listen/read. Educational, inspiring and entertaining in equal measure.

Another cracker from Tim Moore

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Well worth a listen as the books sheds a light into the dark history of war time while also being a wonderful guide to how the country is now, with a lot of cycling and hilarity underpinning everything. I loved it.

Incredible story, poignant and hilarious to boot.

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This book was as enjoyable as Tim Moore's other books on cycling. Laugh out loud, especially if you are familiar with his adventures turning up at hotel receptions with his bike and paniers and getting snooty looks from the staff behind the counter.

The difference with this book, for me, was his coverage of the Spanish Civil War. It was brutal. Not an area of history I have ever read about, even though I knew about the civil war. I had never comprehended the enormity of it. I had known that the Axis powers supported the Nationalists and that the Russians had supported the Republicans. What I was not aware of was that the Nazis had actually taken part in some of the atrocities, the attack on Guernica for example.

However the most amazing thing for me is that Tim a man of my age managed once again to cycle the route of a grand tour in around six weeks.

Another Grand Tour win for Moore, and at his age

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Wonderful multi faceted listen. Cycling, Spain, civil War retelling all interlaced with covid. Brilliant!

Really engaging listen and narration

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the honesty and the story telling of true determination and respect the author gave in his insights

fascinating insight into the history of cycling in Spain and the 20th century history of Spain

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