This week James and Will (well, mostly James) are joined by author Paul Maunder, who discusses his book, Angel of the Mountains: The Strange Tale of Charly Gaul.

Born in Luxembourg in 1932, Charly Gaul turned professional aged 20, quickly establishing himself a prodigious yet mercurial talent, 'A murderous climber with a lower gear than the rest, turning his legs at a speed that would break your heart – tick tock, tick tock, tick tock,' said fellow rider Raphaël Géminiani. In 1956 Gaul won the Giro d'Italia, followed by the Tour de France in 1958 and the Giro again the following year, yet despite such success he was a fragile and curious figure, prone to mistakes, distrust and neurosis, and by 1965 he had retired, having never reached such heights again. But that's only half the story, as Angel of the Mountains tracks Gaul through a strange and tragic retirement and into a more peaceful old age.

Angel of the Mountains - The Strange Tale of Charly Gaul is published by Quercus and is available in all good bookshops and online.

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This episode is sponsored by Laka Bike Insurance, the specialist bike insurers. Visit laka.co/cyclist and enter the code CYCLISTMAG to get your first 30 days' bike insurance cover FREE.

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This episode is brought to you by the Hammerhead Karoo GPS bike computer. Visit hammerhead.io and use the code CYCLIST to get a free HR strap with every purchase (just be sure to add the strap to your cart then apply the code at checkout).

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