Descent (eBook)

Thomas Dekker is a Dutch former professional cyclist whose talent on the bike quickly took him to the top of the sport. He raced for The Netherlands in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, won two Dutch National Time Trial Championships, and captured victories in the 2006 Tirreno-Adriatico and the 2007 Tour of Romandie. He rode for the Dutch Rabobank superteam and then Silence-Lotto before a retroactively tested sample returned positive for EPO. In 2009, Dekker was suspended for two years for the drug violation, and it was later confirmed during Operacion Puerto that Dekker was among the clients of Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. After his suspension, Dekker joined the American Garmin Development Team and rode for Garmin-Barracuda from 2012-2014. Dekker claims to have ridden clean for Jonathan Vaughters and he became a popular rider in the American peloton. He retired after an attempt on the World Hour Record in 2015. Thijs Zonneveld is a Dutch sports journalist and former professional cyclist. He covers the sport of cycling for Holland’s biggest newspaper and serves as a commentator for Dutch public television. His work appears regularly in No.nl, Nusport.nl, and Wieler Magazine. Zonneveld received the award for the best Dutch sports journalist in 2016 for Descent.

1. In the Hotel2. Dead Ordinary3. Love at First Sight4. First Call5. Junior Camp6. The Commitment7. First Shot8. Jacques the Manager9. Initiation10. A Boost for the Worlds11. The Coach12. The Territory13. Your Blood Is Your Blood14. No Worries15. One Is Not Enough16. Stepping Up17. A Hippie in Love18. The 2007 Tour de France19. It’s You, Not Me20. Trickier Than You’d Think21. Doing Without22. Positively Positive23. Give Them Nothing24. Falling25. Wiped Out26. Lifeline27. Cards on the Table28. Ashes and Embers29. Adrift30. The Stupidest Idea Ever31. The Attempt32. Big Talk, Small Talk, No Talk33. A Turn of the Tables34. The Story of My DescentEpilogueAbout the Coauthor