Bobke II: The Continuing Misadventures of Bob Roll [Paperback]

Bob Roll (Author), Dan Koeppel (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 2003

This new collection from cyclist Bob Roll reflects his unique perspective on the professional racing circuit and his own brand of dry humor. Straightforward yet sly, funny but perhaps a little crazy, Roll calls it like he sees it. Here are anecdotes about the Tour de France, international mountain-bike tournaments, training struggles, heart-stopping crashes, and personal vendettas, all of which provide a fascinating inside look at the world of championship cycling.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Not a day passes in the life to Bob Roll without a little good-time commotion."

About the Author

Bob Roll, known to racing fans as Bobke (boob-ka), is a former Tour de France racer and member of the U.S. Cycling Hall of Fame. He is the author of two books on the wild side of racing, Bobke and Bobke II, and is a wildly popular bicycling commentator for the Outdoor Life Network.

Dan Koeppel has been writing for more than 20 years about bikes, bike racing, and outdoor adventure for National Geographic Adventure, Bicycling, Men's Journal, and ESPN: The Magazine. He was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2003.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: VeloPress (September 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193138228X
• ISBN-13: 978-1931382281
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #273,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bobke takes passion from the road and puts it in a book, July 3, 2004

By 

Steven M SCHMITT (SAINT PAUL, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bobke II: The Continuing Misadventures of Bob Roll (Paperback)

As someone who loves cycling but finds most books on the subject more boring than watching paint dry, this book is a refreshing change. Bob Roll takes you riding in the pelaton, on the training rides, and into the heart of a professional cyclist, which after reading this book you will never look at the same again.

Part of Roll's charm stems from his being exceptionally unexceptional. Though never having any great wins he was able to have a long career, ride in the big tours and experience the sport from the inside all because of his relentless work ethic, which seemed to be fueled by his pure love of cycling.

If you've ever watched the Tour De France and scratched your head wondering what it is about this sport that draws hundreds and thousands of screaming fans to pack the roadways to see these little skinny shaved legged men wearing garishly colored jerseys race past in a blink of the eye, Bobke will answer this. You will see cycling as this great sport; this drama of man against man, team against team, and man against himself all played out on this wonderful little machine the bicycle.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, May 23, 2004

By 

Scott Zaehler (29 Palms, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bobke II: The Continuing Misadventures of Bob Roll (Paperback)

Finally, Bobke for the masses. This book fills the gap left by the skyrocketing prices for his first book. Anyone who has ever had fantasies of riding a bike for money has to read this. Bob's writing style takes some getting used to, but he tells it like it is, and does it his way. A mediocre editor would have taken this book and made it more "readable" and mainstream, but it would have lost what makes Bob Roll Bobke. Imagine if he was just another generic commentator for the Tour--would anyone want to listen? I wouldn't. Half the fun of Bob Roll is wondering what he'll say next. The other half is his fantastic storytelling. Get this book, read it, then pass it on to someone else to share the fun.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mental crack for competitive cyclists, June 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Bobke II: The Continuing Misadventures of Bob Roll (Paperback)

I got this book as a gift for Father's Day, and after the second page I was hooked. If you are a serious competitive cyclist and have had your head deep into this crazy sport, you won't be able to put it down. Maybe a bit random, but if I want to read Grisham, Koontz, or King, I'll buy one of their books. For a window into the world of professional cycling at its most glamorous and its worst, this is a must read. If I could give it 6 stars I would. But then again, I am a Bobke fan.