Descent
My Epic Fall from Cycling Superstardom to Doping Dead End
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Descent
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Narrated by:
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Liam Gerrard
About this listen
At age 20, Thomas Dekker was already earning €100,000 a year - as an amateur bike racer. The next year, he turned pro and his salary quadrupled then rose again to €900,000 as he established his position as a super-domestique among Europe's wealthiest superteams. The sport world marveled at Dekker's rise as the young racer set his ambitions on capturing cycling's biggest prizes for himself. Before long, though, Dekker found himself corrupted by money, dazzled by fame, and cracking under the relentless pressure to perform at a superhuman level.
In his tell-all book Descent: My Epic Fall from Cycling Superstardom to Doping Dead End, Dekker reveals a sordid way of life full of blood bags, drugs, prostitutes, and money. Descent tells the story of a years-long bender that exposes the brutal truth of his life as a professional cyclist. And Dekker is not alone; he names those who fell with him and those who aided in his downfall.
In Descent, we take an unflinching look at the European peloton as it roars through its modern boom years - the height of the EPO era - and what we see is shocking. You won't be able to turn away from this compelling book about one man's rise, fall, and redemption and what his story reveals about professional sports.
©2017 Thomas Dekker and Thijs Zonneveld (P)2018 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Featured Article: The Best Biking Audiobooks
Hey, cyclers! If you’re looking for a listen to motivate and energize you while you head out on a ride, these audiobooks are sure to get you pumped up. But whether you decide to listen on or off your bike, this list was curated especially for you. As the summer heats up, you might be looking for motivation to get out there on your bike and onto the streets—or maybe you’re plenty motivated already and just need tips and tricks to up your cycling game. Find the best cycling audiobook for you in the picks below, whether you’re a lifelong rider, a newbie, or any skill level in between.
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- By: Tyler Hamilton, Daniel Coyle
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,648
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,449
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,450
Here is an explosive book that takes us, for the first time, deep inside a shadowy, fascinating, and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, anything-goes team directors, and athletes so relentlessly driven to succeed that they would do anything—and take any risk, physical, mental, or moral—to gain the edge they needed to win. The Secret Race is a riveting, courageous act of witness from a man who is as determined to reveal the hard truth about his sport as he once was to win the Tour de France.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Gripping and fascinating
- By Alan on 09-09-12
By: Tyler Hamilton, and others
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Open
- An Autobiography
- By: Andre Agassi
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,817
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,527
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Story5 out of 5 stars 6,510
From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography. Agassi brings a near-photographic memory to every pivotal match and every relationship. Never before has the inner game of tennis and the outer game of fame been so precisely limned. In clear, taut prose, Agassi evokes his loyal brother, his wise coach, his gentle trainer, all the people who help him regain his balance and find love at last with Stefanie Graf.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Just an Incredible Story!
- By Patrick on 12-13-09
By: Andre Agassi
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Draft Animals
- Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While)
- By: Phil Gaimon
- Narrated by: Phil Gaimon
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 852
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 765
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Story5 out of 5 stars 767
Like countless other kids, Phil Gaimon grew up dreaming of being a professional athlete. But unlike countless other kids, he actually pulled it off. After years of amateur races, hard training, living out of a suitcase, and never taking "no" for an answer, he finally achieved his goal and signed a contract to race professionally on one of the best teams in the world. Now, Gaimon pulls back the curtain on the WorldTour, cycling's highest level.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I’m a fan!
- By Terry on 12-04-17
By: Phil Gaimon
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Double Take
- By: Kevin Michael Connolly
- Narrated by: Kevin Michael Connolly
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 20
Double take: a rapid or surprised second look, either literal or figurative, at a person or situation whose significance has not been completely grasped at first. Kevin Michael Connolly is a 23-year-old man who has seen the world in a way most of us never will. Whether swarmed by Japanese tourists at Epcot Center as a child or holding court at the X Games on his mono-ski, Kevin Connolly has been an object of curiosity since the day he was born without legs.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Love this story so much
- By R. MCRACKAN on 07-04-18
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The Tour According to G
- My Journey to the Yellow Jersey
- By: Geraint Thomas
- Narrated by: Dafydd Pritchard
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 92
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 78
For years Geraint Thomas appeared blessed with extraordinary talent but jinxed at the greatest bike race in the world: twice an Olympic gold medallist on the track, Commonwealth champion, yet at the Tour de France a victim of crashes, bad luck and his willingness to sacrifice himself for his teammates. In the summer of 2018, that curse was blown away in spectacular fashion - from the cobbles of the north and the iconic mountain climbs of the Alps to the brutal slopes of the Pyrenees and, finally, the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Not a fan of GT but really enjoyed the book
- By Richy on 01-27-19
By: Geraint Thomas
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GIMP
- When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold or You Can Play
- By: Mark Zupan
- Narrated by: Mark Zupan
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 40
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
Mark Zupan, a quadriplegic, was facing life in a wheelchair and only limited use of all four limbs. Always a winner and a fighter, Mark refused to accept that his injury doomed him to a lifetime of passive acceptance. He fought to regain as much mobility as possible, and his indomitable spirit has helped him create a life that's truly exceptional.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Same story
- By Salish54 on 12-16-21
By: Mark Zupan
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A Life Without Limits
- A World Champion's Journey
- By: Chrissie Wellington, Lance Armstrong - foreward
- Narrated by: Polly Lee, Chrissie Wellington
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 994
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 864
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 863
In 2007, Chrissie Wellington shocked the triathlon world by winning the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a newcomer to the sport and a complete unknown to the press, Chrissie's win shook up the sport. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS is the story of her rise to the top, a journey that has taken her around the world, from a childhood in England, to the mountains of Nepal, to the oceans of New Zealand, and the trails of Argentina, and first across the finish line.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Chrissie winning, on repeat
- By Mona on 03-13-13
By: Chrissie Wellington, and others
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My Year with Eleanor
- A Memoir
- By: Noelle Hancock
- Narrated by: Emily Beresford
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 69
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 67
After losing her high-octane job as an entertainment blogger, Noelle Hancock was lost. About to turn 29, she'd spent her career writing about celebrities' lives and had forgotten how to live her own. Unemployed and full of self-doubt, she had no idea what she wanted out of life. She feared change - in fact, she feared almost everything. Once confident and ambitious, she had become crippled by anxiety, lacking the courage required even to attend a dinner party - until inspiration struck one day in the form of a quote on a chalkboard in a coffee shop.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Right on time!
- By Leah on 02-19-18
By: Noelle Hancock
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Slow Getting Up
- A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile
- By: Nate Jackson
- Narrated by: Nate Jackson
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 280
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 252
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 255
Nate Jackson’s Slow Getting Up is an unvarnished and uncensored memoir of everyday life in the most popular sports league in America - and the most damaging to its players - the National Football League. After playing college ball at a tiny Division III school, Jackson, a receiver, signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers, before moving to the Denver Broncos. For six seasons in the NFL as a Bronco, he alternated between the practice squad and the active roster, eventually winning a starting spot - a short, tenuous career emblematic of the average pro player.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Almost unlistenable...AND I'M A DENVER DIEHARD!
- By JROD2133 on 07-02-14
By: Nate Jackson
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The Keeper
- A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them
- By: Ali Benjamin, Tim Howard
- Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 121
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 120
In the summer of 2014, Tim Howard became an overnight sensation after more than 10 years as one of America's leading professional soccer players. His record-breaking 15 saves for the United States national team against Belgium in the World Cup electrified a nation that had only recently woken up to the Beautiful Game after decades of hibernation. In this inspiring and candid memoir, the beloved US and Everton goalkeeper finally allows himself to do something that he would never do on the field: He drops his guard.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Tim Howard Saves more then Goals!
- By Ron on 12-16-14
By: Ali Benjamin, and others
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Run!
- 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss
- By: Dean Karnazes
- Narrated by: Daniel May
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 317
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 272
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 272
In his follow-up to the best-selling Ultra-Marathon Man, world-renowned ultra marathoner Dean Karnazes chronicles his unbelievable exploits and explorations in gripping detail; Karnazes runs for days on end without rest, across some of the most exotic and inhospitable places on earth, including the Australian Outback, Antarctica, and the back alleys of New Jersey.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great stories. Horrible narrator.
- By Alberto Medellin on 08-20-15
By: Dean Karnazes
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The Slummer: Quarters Till Death
- By: Geoffrey Simpson
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 34
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
In 2083, Benjamin Brandt is among the millions of “slummers” who are relegated to poverty and struggle on the outskirts of society. As a minority growing up in the gritty underbelly of Cleveland’s Industrial Valley, Ben sees the way genetically designed “elites” live only from a distance: from the shadows of public spaces people like him are forbidden to use, and on TV, where he watches the enhanced athletes compete at an extraordinary level. For years, a national track championship has inspired Ben to ferociously cultivate his own talent as a runner.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A true treasure
- By Amazon Customer on 09-28-23
By: Geoffrey Simpson
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Jenson Button: Life to the Limit
- My Autobiography
- By: Jenson Button
- Narrated by: Jack Hawkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 341
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 311
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 308
The full-length, in-depth and intimate autobiography from Jenson Button, one of the greatest racing drivers of his generation. His 17 years in Formula One have seen him experience everything the sport has to offer, from nursing duff cars round the track to winning world championships and everything in between. Here, Jenson tells his full story for the first time in his own honest, intelligent and eloquent style.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely Amazing
- By Carlos C. on 05-23-18
By: Jenson Button
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Life's Too Short to Go So F*cking Slow
- Lessons from an Epic Friendship That Went the Distance
- By: Susan Lacke
- Narrated by: Amy McFadden
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 279
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 241
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 243
Susan and Carlos were unlikely friends. She was a young, overweight college professor and a bit of a trainwreck - juggling a divorce, a pack-a-day habit, and hiding empty boxes of wine under her bed. He was her boss, an Ironman triathlete, with life figured out. She was a whiner, he was a hard-ass. He had his shit together, she most assuredly did not. Trash-talking workouts, breakdowns, a devastating diagnosis - this heartwarming story of training buddies reveals a deep and abiding friendship that traversed life, sport, and everything in between.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Nice (auto)triography
- By M. Verbeek on 12-03-18
By: Susan Lacke
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First Man In
- Leading from the Front
- By: Ant Middleton
- Narrated by: Ant Middleton
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 242
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 220
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 221
No one is born a leader. But through sheer determination and by confronting life’s challenges, Ant Middleton has come to know the meaning of true leadership. In First Man In, he shares the core lessons he’s learned over the course of his fascinating, exhilarating life. Special forces training is no walk in the park. The rules are strict, and they make sure you learn the hard way, pushing you beyond the limits of what is physically possible. There is no mercy. Even when you are bleeding and broken, to admit defeat is failure.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Leader, more like a lost sheep
- By Amazon Customer on 11-13-20
By: Ant Middleton
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Short Fat Chick to Marathon Runner
- By: Kerre Woodham, Gareth Brown
- Narrated by: Kerre Woodham, Gareth Brown
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 50
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
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Story4 out of 5 stars 44
When celebrated radio personality and columnist Kerre Woodham found herself 40, overweight, and depressed she faced two choices - do nothing and probably not make it to 50 or do something and get her life back. Fortunately for all of us, and especially those women who like to eat and dress well, she decided to fight back. Leaving kilos of herself and two bra sizes behind 'somewhere in the Waitakeres', she embarked on a fitness and training regime, with a goal to complete the Auckland marathon.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Inspiring, funny and informative
- By Michelle on 11-14-13
By: Kerre Woodham, and others
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Surfacing
- From the Depths of Self-Doubt to Winning Big and Living Fearlessly
- By: Siri Lindley
- Narrated by: Siri Lindley
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 49
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
In
Surfacing, Siri Lindley opens up about her unique celebrity-dappled early life. When an NFL superstar notices her beautiful mother, her idyllic childhood is upended. Glitzy dinner parties and world travel pull her mother away, and Lindley grows up feeling alone and out of place. As her intense loneliness grows into anger, she lashes out against her New England life of privilege.
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1 out of 5 stars
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I m sorry but it sucks!!
- By Carlos Amador on 05-07-17
By: Siri Lindley
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A Life Too Short
- The Tragedy of Robert Enke
- By: Ronald Reng
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
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Story5 out of 5 stars 35
Why does an international footballer with the World at his feet decide to take his own life? On November 10, 2009, the German national goalkeeper Robert Enke stepped in front of a passing train. He was 32 years old. Viewed from the outside, Enke had it all. Here was a professional goalkeeper who had played for a string of Europe's top clubs, including Jose Mourinho's Benfica and Louis Van Gaal's Barcelona. Enke was destined to be his country's first choice for years. But beneath the veneer of success lay a darker story.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Depression is real, this story brings it home.
- By Bob Seavers on 12-13-19
By: Ronald Reng
What listeners say about Descent
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Xaj
- 03-27-24
May the truth set you free. Well done! 
This is the most frank and honest self appraisal I’ve ever read. Thomas Decker pulls no punches about himself or the world of cycling. I hope books like this will truly clean up the sport and make it something all cyclists can be proud of. 
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pepperl
- 08-22-19
It feels honest, great story
You feel for the guy, and it represents kind of rawness - its real life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Noah K. Kaufman
- 04-12-24
Really interesting!!!
I found this book extremely interesting. What a rollercoaster Thomas Dekker was on. So much talent for bike racing, but also so insecure and grandiose. My hat goes off to him for sharing his story with the world, and to the co-author, who kept me engaged the whole time. Great job gentleman!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- fee services
- 02-12-19
are you kidding me? no.
after listening to this and ' the comeback kid", l can't believe that anyone would want to get into professional cycling. both are amazing stories and keep your attention. I loved Thomas' honesty, hope he has way to find the truth
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Caveat Emptor
- 06-12-24
Dramatically honest
Recommended both for cycling history and as a memoir of addictive behavior. Brutally honest, well written and performed. Like other doping-era memoirs, this one both damns and exonerates, though less for some than others. The more I read/listen to these the more I seem to see patterns in superhuman performances today, as well as how the selected elite riders are treated differently than the rest of the peloton.
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