Shoulder to Shoulder, Bicycle Racing in the Age of Anquetil

“Shoulder to Shoulder: Bicycle Racing in The Age of Anquetil,” The Horton Collection, 2015, Velo Press, Boulder CO.    

Authors Brett and Shelly Horton are dealers in cycling ephemera, racing jerseys and posters. In their hunt for jerseys, one of the things they ended up with was a mighty collection of cycling photography.    

This is the Hortons’ second book. Their first, “Goggles and Dust, Images From Cycling’s Glory Days”,  (reviewed in Rustmag.com) covers the cycling scene from the late 19th Century to the Second World War. “Shoulder to Shoulder” takes up the story at the turn of the 60s.   

In the early ’60s, as Europe came out of the postwar period, bicycle racing exploded in popularity. One of the main reasons was the handsome and supremely talented French racer Jacques Anquetil. Anquetil, darling of the press and the French public, stormed through the major events on the racing calendar. Anquetil was a calculating and strategic-thinking racer with the skills to dominate on the biggest stage. As a result he casts a shadow over the images in “Shoulder to Shoulder”.  

The photography in the book is very strong. It is a bit of a tragedy that none of the images are credited. But that said, it offers an amazing view of the grit, determination and popularity of the European racing scene. There are photos of horrific crashes and their aftermath as well as touching portraits of the riders and cycling personalities. Spectators, press, team support crews and managers are all there in black and white. The reader gets a real feel for how exciting it all was.   

There is a great deal of humor in the photography as well. In one shot, Spanish riders from the Kas and Ferry teams join in singing songs before the start of a Tour De France stage. In another a grimy rider in the saddle pries the cap off of a bottle with his teeth.   

The ’60s were the era of the classic steel racing frames and the golden age of component maker Campagnolo. For the reader who is into classic bicycles the book is a gold mine of vintage gear porn.   

“Shoulder to Shoulder” is beautifully designed and laid out, but as a book of photography, it does not have much text. There is a well-written intro that is uncredited, but I suspect it was written by Brett Horton. Complementing the photography are very interesting captions for each of the photos at the end of the book. A picture may tell a thousand words, but back story and context make a photo so much more interesting.     

“Shoulder to Shoulder” is a perfect book to throw on your coffee table and dive into from time to time. Every page is a gem.