Title: Chased by Pandas – My Life in the Mysterious World of Cycling
Author: Dan Martin (with Pierre Carrey, translated by Peter Cossins)
Publisher: Quercus
Year: 2022
Pages: 325
Order: Hachette
What it is: A chamoir from the man who won La Doyenne and the Race of the Falling Leaves back when he was one of Jonathan Vaughter’s Lost Boys, along with stages in the Vuelta and the Tour, and who completed his set of Grand Tour stage wins at the Giro while riding for the billionaire Sylvain Adams
Strengths: It’s a lyrical and romantic take on the sport
Weaknesses: At times the book comes close to dealing with darker aspects of professional cycling but backs off in favour of a warm and uplifting view of the sport
In 2017, as the Tour de France approached the end of its first week, French journalist Pierre Carrey wrote an article for Libération, a panegyric in letter form hymning the praises of Dan Martin, Quick-Step’s Irish puncheur. Carrey and Martin had met more than a decade before, when the Irishman was serving his apprenticeship with Vélo Club la Pomme Marseille and the Frenchman was responsible for the club’s website. For a time they both lived in the club’s shared accommodation and Carrey got to know Martin, on and off the bike.
In his Libé article, Carrey reminded Martin of those days at VC la Pomme, “a factory of champions […], broken little guys who sacrificed their youth”. Martin was broken, physically and mentally, but came through it with his self-belief, his confidence, and his morals intact. Carrey called Martin a hero, but one who refused the title, preferred to hug the walls of the world. He saw Martin as having been part of a group of riders who opened a doorway for a better form of cycling, he saw Martin as having helped inspire other riders, including Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet.
On one level, Dan Martin’s chamois memoir (chamoir) Chased by Pandas – ghosted by Carrey – is that article stretched out to book length. It’s a lyrical, romantic take on Martin’s life and his time at VC la Pomme (2005-2007), Garmin (2007-2015), Quick-Step (2016-2017), UAE (2018-2019) and Israel…
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