A Significant Other

An inside look at the 2003 Tour de France through the eyes of Lance Armstrong's right-hand rider, the Colombian Victor Hugo Pena. Pena served as Armstrong's domestique, a crucial yet unsung position unique to cycling. The domestique handles a variety of tasks, but his most important is to ride ahead of the team leader, creating a wind tunnel that makes it aerodynamically easier for the "star" to continue pedaling, even when his muscles are thoroughly exhausted. This is the essence of cycling, and the key to Armstrong's victories. Yet the domestique gets none of the glory. Now, in revealing the true role of the domestique for the first time, Matt Rendell gives a more vivid and insightful portrayal of professional cycling than ever before.