Angel of the Mountains: The Curious Life of Charly Gaul, Cycling's Forgotten Superstar

— —

Paul Maunder

Angel of the Mountains

The Curious Life of Charly Gaul, Cycling's Forgotten Superstar

Paul Maunder

$26.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Quercus Publishing
14 October 2025

Biography: sport; Cycling

'Maunder's book is more than just a biography of the rise and fall of a complicated man . . . It is also a critique of the damage that myth-making and the media can do to an athlete; a study of what happens to a demigod when thrown from Mount Olympus' The Times

Charly Gaul is a forgotten cycling legend. Once a household name across Europe, the diminutive Luxembourger won the 1958 Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia twice. A unique rider, Gaul was supremely gifted at climbing and resilient even in the foulest weather. His pedalling style was smooth and swift, and he could set an unmatchable metronome rhythm on a mountain climb. 'Mozart on two wheels,' was how one contemporary writer described him; another dubbed him 'The Angel of the Mountains'.

At the end of his cycling career Gaul disappeared, becoming a hermit living in a forest in Luxembourg. What drove Charly Gaul into a recluse's life? In Angel of the Mountains, Paul Maunder seeks to uncover the truth about Gaul, his psychology and the circumstances of his withdrawal from society. In rediscovering Gaul's enigmatic life, we find not only an unlikely hero but also a larger truth about the nature of sporting success.

By: Paul Maunder
Imprint: Quercus Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781529429596
ISBN 10: 1529429595
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 14 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Paul Maunder is the author of Rainbows in the Mud, a study of the world of Belgian cyclocross, and The Wind at my Back, a memoir on the connections between landscape, cycling and creativity. A graduate of the Royal Holloway creative writing programme, and the Faber Academy, Maunder lives in London with his family.

Reviews for Angel of the Mountains: The Curious Life of Charly Gaul, Cycling's Forgotten Superstar

Maunder's book is more than just a biography of the rise and fall of a complicated man who was described as both generous and arrogant by those who knew him. It is also a critique of the damage that myth-making and the media can do to an athlete; a study of what happens to a demigod when thrown from Mount Olympus -- The Times