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  • God Is Dead

  • The Rise and Fall of Frank Vandenbroucke, Cycling's Great Wasted Talent
  • By: Andy McGrath
  • Narrated by: Rory Alexander
  • Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)

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God Is Dead

By: Andy McGrath
Narrated by: Rory Alexander
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022

The remarkable untold story of the mercurial cycling prodigy Frank Vandenbroucke, written by William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath.

They called him God. For his grace on a bicycle, for his divine talent, for his heavenly looks. Frank Vandenbroucke had it all, and in the late '90s, he raced with dazzling speed and lived even faster.

The Belgian won several of cycling's most illustrious races, including Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Nice and Ghent-Wevelgem. He was a mix of poise and panache who enthralled a generation of cycling fans. Off the bike, he only had one enemy - himself. Vandenbroucke dabbled in nocturnal party sessions mixing sleeping pills and alcohol and regularly fell out with team managers. By 1999, his team had suspended him and this proved to be the start of a long eventful fall from grace. Depression, a drug ban, addiction, car crashes, divorce and countless court appearances subsumed his life. He threatened his wife with a gun. He tried to commit suicide twice. And when police found performance-enhancing drugs at his house, Vandenbroucke said they were for his dog.

It seemed he had finally learned from his mistakes. Then, on 12th October 2009, aged just 34, Vandenbroucke was found dead in a hotel room in Senegal.

Guided by exclusive contributions from his family, friends and team-mates, William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath lays bare Vandenbroucke's chaotic, complicated life and times. God Is Dead is the remarkable biography of this mercurial cycling prodigy.

©2022 Andy McGrath (P)2022 Penguin Audio

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Fame

This could be the story of Ben Cousins. Or Janis Joplin. Or Freddie Mercury. Or maybe even Warnie.
Talent > Success > Praise leading to someone who doesn’t have to learn about key parts of growing up, such as control, such as the word “no”.
This is a sad tale, but it’s written in a light style and is not a sad read.

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