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Published in:
2016 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
4. An Unexpected Letter
Authors : Ken Ono, Amir D. Aczel
Published in: My Search for Ramanujan
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
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Abstract
My legs are on fire. I’m fighting to spin the pedals of my svelte French Peugeot racing bicycle in a desperate effort to keep pace with Belgian cycling champion Eddy Merckx. We’re battling mano a mano, racing up the switchbacks of Mont Ventoux, the “Giant of Provence,” a cruel peak that had claimed the life of British champion Tom Simpson during the 1967 Tour de France. We’re racing for the finish line, a strip of white paint in the steep road at the summit, a desolate place marked by a decaying weather station. Merckx, known as the “Cannibal” because of his insatiable appetite for victories, sets an infernal pace. Somehow, I’m able to keep up, while one by one, all the others have fallen behind. The finish is finally in sight, and the fans are in a frenzy. Despite the overwhelming pain and self-doubt building inside me, I summon all my remaining strength. I rise out of the saddle and swing my Peugeot side to side in a furious sprint. And wondrous to relate, I leave the Cannibal in my wake.