More than anything else, what hits me is that Walsh is a really really poor writer. His metaphors, not only are many of them totally out of place in a "work" of non fiction that intends to make a case for the cleanliness of a cycling team, (butterflies landing on DB's shoulder, really) they are very, well,crap and feel forced, as if Walsh thinks including them will make him look like a good writer, or trying to make up the numbers for the required minimum word count.
Lets take this for example
Chris Froome stands to the side looking out to sea like Columbus who was born here, his Tintin profile peering towards either his destiny or a good spot for the spear fishing he enjoys so much.
What is the point of that sentence. Froome looks out to sea like Columbus. The intention seems to be to set the scene of the TDF presentation and make Froome look like he is outwardly expressing through body language his concentration and desire to win. It is supposed to be significant, otherwise there would not be the comparison to the famous historical figure, it would just be -
Froome looks out to sea, like every person who has ever been packed with 10 others onto a small boat, because there is no ****ing other place to look at but the sea, since its all around.
But Walsh says its like Columbus. Ok why Columbus. Well because he was born there so Walsh can say that. But, what was Colombus doing looking out to sea? When?
Who was Columbus.
A sailor who commanded the ships that first sailed to the "new world". So he must have looked out to sea at some point right. Probably. And what was he thinking? Erm, I don't know, "I want gold"? or, "I wonder how far away that land that may exist out there is?
Or does Walsh mean Froome is Columbus when Columbus already has the Americas in his sight?
What was he thinking then. Was he thinking " I discovered America". So how does that relate to Froome? Or was he thinking "I have circled the world and reached India". So what is Froome thinking then "I am happy to be on the team for the Tour"???
I don't know. Walsh hasn't explained it at all, just given a very ambiguous comparison because presumably he thinks its intelligent.
Maybe he should have said "Chris Froome stands to the side looking out to sea like
one imaginesColumbus, who was born here,
would in (whenever Walsh imagines Colombus looked out to sea that way, did, and what it meant)
But even with that, it feels so forced. More like amateur script to a movie scene than non fiction, because in reality, the trip you take on the boat to the barely watched and absolutely meaningless presentation of 200 cyclists and staff, 2 days before the start of the event, is in no way a pivotal moment of the TDF. Was Froome looking at the sea really such an important moment that serves as a metaphor for his entire attitude to winning the Tour, cleans. In a novel, maybe ( a **** one). In a film, yes because you have to use imagery to get your point across. In a work of non fiction?
And if it was just that then one could give Walsh a pass or say- maybe Walsh really does think that stare into the sea was significant and had to be in the book.
But the thing is all the snippets ive seen read like that. In the disgraceful article from July where he lied like Armstrong, Walsh said listening to Brailsford was like listening to Henry V at Agincourt (the most inspirational speech in English literature). Everything Sky do he seems to interpret as having great meaning and evidence of their state of higher functioning
Perhaps the best example of this is in this snippet.
"What he didn’t say but wanted you to know is that he would have his chance to win this year, no matter what. His intensity recalled what Apollo Creed said to Rocky Balboa:
So Froome in a casual conversation is able to get what he wants to say across by not even saying it?
Wow. Thats amazing. And whatsmore he seemed like a total idiot to me in all the interviews I saw.
And again his behaviour, like Brailsfords is identical to some great historical/ fictional moment everyone can identify with. Colombus, Henry V, Rocky Balboa, spending time with these guys sounds like being in a time machine that has been programmed to take you to all the most inspirational moments of human history.
To me it all reads a lot like fiction. because in fiction writers 1 have tremendous ammounts of time to plan every scene and 2 they control all the characters so can make them interract with eachother in a way that comes off as perfect.
Real life just doesn't nor has it ever worked that way.
Apart from for David Walsh for 6 months of the year 2013 in the surrounding vicintiy of the Team Sky Pro Cycling bus.
ps, fearless greg lemond, you are some kind of masochist reading through that whole book.