The large scar on his stomach reminiscent of the chronic inflammatory bowel disease that nearly killed him. The zipper on his head from his first brain tumor. Also survived. Even completely cured. Until half followed. The worst of its kind. Four years ago, Teun van Vliet stated. A maximum of one year to live was the prognosis. But he's still there.

The idea of ​​the life of Teun van Vliet to record was in 1987, when the cyclist in Villach the best man in the race, but still not a world champion. Intrigue, trickery and deceit, how about that game in the bunch together? "Once we do," was the verdict at the end of each subsequent meeting. But those meetings were scarce and were finally in a very different light, are a product not in the cyclist, but the patient Teun van Vliet.

Guido Bindels traveled as a journalist over a quarter century the world. A significant part of it was spent with the following cycling races. He also wrote the novels spiritual 'Soul Leap "and" The Aphrodite of Santorini. In December 2009 he met Teun van Vliet back to the "Cyclist of the Year contest. He was accompanied by his sister Nita, who immediately fell to the bush: "Are you going after all these years now to finally start that book? There has been plenty happening in the lives of our Teun that is worth recording. "What followed were intense discussions about drinking, women, the rate and death.
Much of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Top Sport for Life.

Mart Smeets: "The smile of a man who played with life. And life with him, but he was not. "