Sokrates auf dem Rennrad

Guillaume Martin is one of the best cyclists in the world and also a philosopher. This combination surprises many people. To dispel the stereotype that elite athletes lack intelligence and critical thinking, the French professional cyclist has written a book that unites his two great passions.

In "Socrates on a Racing Bike," Guillaume Martin sends the most significant thinkers in history to the world's greatest bicycle race: the Tour de France. Skillfully and with a lot of humor, he intertwines his own experiences, which offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the real cycling circus, with the fictional struggle of Aristotle, Nietzsche, and their companions for drafting, tire widths, and stage victories. There is Sartre, who, as the team leader of the French, encourages his riders not to hide in the peloton. There is Marx, who worries about the unfair distribution of prizes. There is Kant, who has to swallow hard when he learns that the race does not take place in his beloved Königsberg.

With his debut work, Guillaume Martin has created a book that is both clever and entertaining, linking profound thoughts with exciting sports narratives and thus appealing to a broad audience: those primarily interested in sports and reflective insights into the professional field will almost imperceptibly learn the basics of significant ideas and theories. Meanwhile, philosophically knowledgeable readers will enjoy recognizing the traits of scholars in the saddle. In the end, it becomes clear to everyone: physical excellence does not have to contradict intellectual ambitions. Because, especially in (cycling) sports, the guiding principle formulated by Henri Bergson holds true: "One must act like a thinking person and think like a person who acts."

"A stroke of genius." (NZZ, Sebastian Bräuer)
"Light-footed and refreshing.".