Roadie - Jamie Smith

Veteran race announcer and long-time cycling enthusiast Jamie Smith
sets out to explain the sport he loves and the roadies who live for it
in this lighthearted treatise on bike racing. Finally, a book to explain
those people who roll out for a ride dressed in technicolored Lycra at
the crack of dawn on Saturday, and return at sundown with a glow of
satisfaction and even stronger tan lines.

Perfect for anyone who
has ever known a roadie, considered becoming a roadie, or walked away
from a bike race completely puzzled, Roadie addresses all of the
curiosities that accompany the sport of cycling, from shaved legs to
colorful jerseys and unbelievably expensive bicycles, shoes, and
components. Every seemingly neurotic tendency is explained and
celebrated with humorous illustrations from nationally syndicated
cartoonist Jef Mallett (also rumored to log thousands of miles of riding
per year).

Explaining strategy and races from the famous Tour de France stage race to the local criterium, Roadie
brings the excitement of bike racing alive for anyone with an appetite
for adrenaline. And for the thousands who purchase a shiny new road bike
each spring, it's a much-needed primer on the politics of a group ride.
Pacelines, drafting, sprinting, climbing, and breakaways are turned
into everyday commonsense with colorful anecdotes.

Whether
interested onlooker or cycling aficionado, readers will find themselves
laughing out loud as they revel in the roadie's world.