Monday, April 21, 2025

“Oh, THAT Tour!” by Paul Jesson

-

HomeOtherBook Reviews"Oh, THAT Tour!" by Paul Jesson

May 1980 and Splendor professional Paul Jesson becomes the first cyclist from New Zealand to win a Grand Tour stage; Burgos to Santander, Stage 10 of the Vuelta a Espana in front of huge, entertainment starved crowds in post Franco Spain.

Paul Jesson
Paul takes Stage 10 of the 1980 Vuelta, and the possibilities of a great career become clearer. Photo©supplied

He’d also made the podium, earlier in the season of the hard man’s semi-classic Nokere Koerse.

But just a few weeks after his Vuelta triumph he was riding the prologue of the Dauphine Libere, the Tour de France ‘warm up’ stage race and as he explained to me a few years ago when I interviewed him, this happened; 

I was round the circuit three times before the start to familiarise myself with the parcours, that’s about all I can remember. 

I hit a parked car during the race – a Lancia, apparently – with my knee and was unconscious for a couple of weeks after. 

I learned later that I was unlucky with the medical care: I was admitted as the shifts changed and there was no proper control of my circulation.

With an injury such as that you have to make sure that the blood keeps moving – if there’s no blood circulation for a period of six hours then that’s a real problem. 

“I was operated on by a specialist in Belgium who operated on the likes of Michel Pollentier and top moto-cross riders but eventually the leg had to be removed, it was black, dead.”

His youth, form, and solid contract with one of the best teams of the day meant nothing, he’d gone from being one of the best bike riders on the planet to a ‘cripple’

NZ Cyclist, Paul Jesson competes in the Men’s Individual Pursuit (LC3) Qualifying Round at the Olympic Valedrome, Athens, Greece on Saturday, 18 September, 2004. Jesson qualified to the next round with a time of 4:16.25. PHOTO: Hannah Johnston/PHOTOSPORT

Jesson has recently finished his autobiography; ‘Oh, THAT Tour!’, the title coming from his introduction to the pro ranks, as he explained: 

Because of the results I’d been getting I received a few offers from pro teams and in ’79 Splendor contacted me. 

They came to see me and said; “we want you to sign a contract with us, we have a tour we want you to ride.” 

I asked how long it was and they replied; ’23 days.’

I remember saying; ‘Oh, that Tour!’ So that’s how my first race as a full pro came to be the Tour de France.”

Paul Jesson
Paul Jesson in Splendor colours. Photo©supplied

The book isn’t a conventionally structured tome, starting with a short chapter about the Paralympics time trial/road race bronze medal he came back and won in Athens some 24 years after his Vuelta stage win.

Then we go back to his roots; in fact, way back to his ancestors, in perhaps a little too much detail for cycle race information obsessed me – but if you’re into genealogy then you’ll love this section.

Paul Jesson rode for Watties in his youth. Photo©supplied

The young Jesson’s development as a person and rider comes next and then a couple of very thorough chapters on his New Zealand race career; he was 1976 New Zealand cyclist of the year.

That same season he won his home races, the Dulux Tour and the Tour of The Southland, which is still a major race in the southern hemisphere season. 

Jesson won the Southland twice off four starts and on the other two occasions he was second.

Paul Jesson. Photo©supplied

Season 1976 was also the year, the by now 21 year-old from Christchurch won the five day Etoile Hennuyere in Belgium, the previous year the race was won by Paris-Tours, GP des Nations and Barrachi Trophy winner, Jean Luc Vandenbroucke.

Jesson recalls;

I was in the New Zealand national squad; we were really just there for training for the Milk Race in Britain. 

We went with no expectations but I ended up winning overall and my team mate Blair Stockwell took the last stage. 

“I used to race the New Zealand road season then go to work to get money together so as I could come back to Europe to race in the northern hemisphere summer. 

“I’d ride a full programme in Belgium, from stage races down to the kermises.” 

Paul Jesson
Paul (on the far right) shares the Vuelta podium with Sean Kelly, Faustino Ruperez and Miguel Lasa. Photo©supplied

Despite Jesson’s major successes in ‘76, he failed to gain selection for his big goal, the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada – where the road race was won by Australia’s Phil Anderson. 

Jesson explained to me;

I had back problems in ’77 and didn’t have the same kind of form as I did during the previous year. 

I was made ‘non travelling reserve’ for the Games but I was going well in Europe.

“I was second in the Tour of Liege and second in the Tour of Wallonia.

“They were both five day stage races with just a few days between them and I was the only Belgian based rider to compete in both of them.”

Paul Jesson on the attack. Photo©supplied

And going back to his, ‘Oh THAT Tour !’ book title – when Splendor signed him they gave him the security of an 18 month contract and made him only the second rider after Lucien Van Impe to ride the Tour de France as their initiation to the professional peloton.

His Splendor pro career is dealt with in some depth up to his dreadful crash.

Paul Jesson with Danny Clark. Photo©supplied

His long fight back from his horrible injury and battles with depression and personal problems come next.

Then there’s his comeback and build up to his Para-cycling Worlds and Olympic medals – which are dealt with in some detail.

And without giving anything away, it’s always good to have a ‘happy ending.’

Photo©supplied

Two nice features of the book are the plethora of good images from all phases of Jesson’s life and career and the appendices which many other cycling books would do well to emulate.

Appendix One covers all of Jesson’s major results; amateur, professional and para.

Appendix Two lists the team mates, friends and rivals he encountered during his career.

Whilst Appendix Three lists all of New Zealand’s Grand Tour participants 1928 to 2018.

If you’d like a copy, Paul explains: 

At present while trying to cover printing and photo copyright costs only Des Williams and I have copies and we are sending them out by mail.

“Price of the book is $39.50nz 

“Postage in New Zealand is $5.50

“To UK Europe and US postage is $25 and Australia $12.50

“All this info is on the last post I put on the Facebook ‘nzcycling remembered’ page.

So people need to contact Des Williams or myself by Facebook messenger if they want a signed copy.”

We’d recommend you do. 

Photo©supplied

“’Oh, THAT Tour’ The Paul Jesson Story” by Des Williams
240 pp., softbound
Publisher: Last Side Publishing Limited, Hamilton, New Zealand.
ISBN 978-0-473-46989-4
Suggested Retail Price: $39.50nz 
Postage in New Zealand is $5.50
To UK Europe and US postage is $25 and Australia $12.50

CoverDesign
Last Side Publishing Limited.
Front cover image: John Coles PhotoSport International.
Back cover: Paul Jesson Collection (top) and Paralympics New Zealand.

Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed was involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he was a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He was also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months often worked in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed was a highly respected journalist, his tales of chasing the Giro, Tour, Vuelta, Classics and World Championships - and his much-loved winter Six Days - are legendary, never the same twice, they gave our site an edge other cycling media could never duplicate or challenge. Sadly Ed passed away in January 2025, two years after suffering a devastating stroke.

Related Articles

“The Driller” by Bob Addy

If you’re a student of cycling history and want an insight into the 60’s and 70’s cycling scene then Bob Addy's book "The Driller" is a good read for you, taking you from Addy’s days as a youngster finding his feet in the sport through a successful amateur career representing his nation at the highest levels of the amateur sport in events like the Tour de l’Avenir and the savage, East European Peace Race, before turning pro and riding the Tour de France.

“Gravel Rides Scotland” by Ed Shoote

Gravel riding – what’s all the fuss about? For a die-hard roadie, the thought of swapping silky smooth tarmac for rough forestry tracks, farm roads, and God forbid, mud, might seem like heresy. But there’s no denying it, gravel is booming. "Gravel Rides Scotland" by Ed Shoote captures brilliantly Scotland’s most breathtaking and remote routes, designed for those who crave adventure beyond the asphalt.

“The Autobiography” by Chris Hoy

Chris Hoy - six-time Olympic gold medalist, eleven-time World Champion, knight of the realm and quite possibly the most famous Scotsman ever to turn a pedal in anger. His autobiography, simply titled "The Autobiography" takes us on the long road from BMX tracks and the Meadowbank velodrome in Edinburgh to the podium in Beijing and beyond.

“Jan Ullrich” by Daniel Friebe

Daniel Friebe's book, "Jan Ullrich, the best there never was" covers his career and life in great detail with many interviews with his coach, Peter Becker and two of the men who attempted to manage their brilliant but erratic charge, Rudy Pevenage and Walter Godefroot - who no longer exchange Christmas cards - not to mention many of his Telekom team mates, and of course there’s the other ‘stuff’; Ullrich’s addictions to alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, sex; and most damaging of all, for a man whose job involves riding a bicycle up mountains - food.

At Random

Giro d’Italia 2010 – Day One, Arrivo in Viareggio!

Ciao, come sta? Viareggio on the west coast of Italy, 06:30 Saturday May 15 and VeloVeritas is on the Giro - well, not quite, we have our credentials to collect from the Gazzetta camper van, this morning at the stage start in Carrara. The trip down wasn't too bad, Edinburgh to Luton, then Luton to Pisa - there was an hour's delay at Luton, but we were on Easyjet, so no one gets too stressed.

San Sebastian From The Outside

A week after the Tour, and Mands and I got ourselves over to San Sebastian for a bit of vacation relaxery after the saga that is the nose to the grindstone month of the Tour.

Ryder Hesjedal chats about his Ardennes Classics campaign

In the Flèche Wallonne - just for a few minutes, as the much diminished peloton ran in towards Huy and the final gun fight on the Mur - it looked like Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal might just steal it. The 31 year-old Garmin ex-mountain biker in company with Norwegian Sky man, Lars Petter Nordhaug blasted big gears into the foot of the hill.

Louis Meintjes – u23 World Road Championship Silver Medallist

The U23 World Road Championships race threw up a number of surprises; all of the big name Belgian, British, French and Italian favourites failed and Slovenian Matej Mohoric moved seamlessly up from junior to U23 Champion of the World. In second place was a young man who chased the Slovenian all the way to the line and once again reminded us that African cycling has to be taken seriously. Louis Meintjes (MTN-Qhubeka and Republic of South Africa) kept the African Pro Continental squad’s dream of a season rolling with the silver medal.