{"product_id":"the-green-bullet-9781474609753","title":"The Green Bullet","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e*Shortlisted for Cycling Book of the Year at the Sports Book Awards 2024*\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom award-winning author Matt Rendell, an examination of the phenomenal success of Alejandro Valverde and the moral decay at the heart of Spanish cycling.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A study of a dominant force, a true gentleman racer despite his shadowy past'' \u003cb\u003eDan Martin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlejandro Valverde - the ''Green Bullet'' - was an international symbol of Spanish cycling for a quarter of a century before his retirement in 2022. Hard-working and supremely talented, he won the Vuelta a España and stood on the podium of the Giro d''Italia and the Tour de France. World champion in 2018, he was also the world''s number-one-ranked rider four times. A man of indisputable charisma, he was also a convicted doping cheat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the Spanish police investigation, Operación Puerto, uncovered a vast international blood doping ring, Valverde denied all involvement. The revelations unearthed by Operación Puerto threatened to force cycling off the road.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValverde''s long career was a high wire walk between the venal interests that surround elite sport in Spain. In a nation beset by corruption, political incompetence and social division, Valverde''s talent aided the public image of unscrupulous political and economic institutions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven today, Valverde maintains his reticence. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Green Bullet\u003c\/i\u003e breaks the silence.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orion Publishing Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51019915100503,"sku":"9781474609753","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781474609753.jpg?v=1750781715","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-green-bullet-9781474609753","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}