The Quotable Cyclist: Great Moments of Bicycling Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor (Breakaway Books Series) [Hardcover]

Bill Strickland (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Breakaway Books Series | Publication Date: January 1, 1999

A few of our favorite quotes from The Quotable Cyclist:

"Nothing compares with the simple pleasure of a bike ride." —John F. Kennedy

"The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets." —Christoper Morley

"Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia." —H. G. Wells

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live." —Mark Twain

"It is easy to be a holy man on a mountain bike." —Mark W. Matson

"If you brake, you don't win." —Mario Cipollini

"There is no room in the Tour for the sick or the weak." —Laurent Jalabert

"Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling." —James E. Starrs

"As long as I breathe, I attack." —Bernard Hinault

"Ride like water." —Paul Adkins

"Cyclists worship legs." —Nelson Pena

"Why should anyone steal a watch when he could steal a bicycle?" —Flann O'Brien

"The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." —John Howard

"Bicycles have no walls." —Paul Cornish

"The very existence of the bicycle is an offense to reason and wisdom." —P. J. O'Rourke

"The bicycle is the noblest invention of mankind." —William Saroyan

"Everything is bicycle." —Stephen Crane

Contents
Prologue
Love
Mountain Biking
Road Riding
Climbing
Descending
Speed, Sprinting and the Noiseless Rush
Training
Fitness
Racing
Winning and Losing
Crashes
The First Ride
Riding with Style
Desire
The Tour de France and Other Great Races
Legends, Myths and Champions
Paid to Pedal
Adventure
Equipment
Everything is Bicycle
A Vehicle for Revolution
Women in Cycling
Hate
General Classification

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Strickland is Executive Editor of Bicycling Magazine, and the editor of The Quotable Cyclist (Breakaway Books).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 358 pages
• Publisher: Breakaway Books; First Edition edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558215638
• ISBN-13: 978-1558215634
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,026,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Someone who gets it, December 31, 1999

By 

M. J. Mccaffrey "Matt OneLANE" (Conn., United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Quotable Cyclist: Great Moments of Bicycling Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor (Breakaway Books Series) (Hardcover)

I've spent two years promoting our annual 500-mile lap around New England, and I get two kinds of comments: "How could you possibly do that?" or "Sign me up NOW!" This book is for people who make the latter comment. Strickland gets why people go beyond LOVING cycling to BECOMING cyclists. The mountain biking section hooked me. I'm a long-distance tourist, and the mountain bikers who have toured with me have tended to be hot-dog-oriented teenagers. I'm not attracted to mud and racing and rocks (and I like my limbs and ribs, thank you!). But I saw a different, contemplative, spiritual side of mountain biking that helped me grow in appreciation for those who pursue it. There's something for every cyclist here -- in fact, there's multiple "somethings" -- and those of you who have ever used your wheels will appreciate instantly that there are many others who speak our hearts.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pedaling the Wisdom, Inspiration, Joy and Humor of Cycling, December 8, 2007

By 

Kiril G. Kundurazieff "Opinions issued from T... (Santa Ana, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Quotable Cyclist: Great Moments of Bicycling Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor (Paperback)

In this book the author expresses in so many ways all the different feelings about cycling that we cyclists come to grips with through our enjoyment of the sport. Well organized and vastly entertaining.

5.0 out of 5 stars Captures the essence and emotion of cycling perfectly, June 7, 2004

By 

M. Jason Moore (Dallas TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Quotable Cyclist: Great Moments of Bicycling Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor (Paperback)

With this book, Strickland is able to convey the essence and visceral emotion that cycling evokes in everyone who rides. The quotes are well organized into chapters like Fitness, Climbing, Speed, etc. Reading this book, my emotions ran the gamut from laughing out loud, to gut level understanding, to reverence. If you are looking for a book that can help with the technical aspects of cycling, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a book that can make your cycling soul smile, this is the one.