Customer Reviews

Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Obviously, from some of the reviews on here, some people don't understand that this book isn't written as an instruction manual for roadies. This is a book for people like me...friend of a roadie trying to understand the lifestyle. Before reading this book, I knew NOTHING about the cycling world. I found the book extremely informative and entertaining at the same time. There is a lot of good information in here and the wit and humor that the author and illustrator used kept me interested. After reading "Roadie" I HAD to see a race in person...perhaps to answer the question "Does this really happen?". Yep, it really happens. And now the world of bike racing has a new supporter. I'm hooked!

Jamie Smith and Jef Mallett have done a terrific job of explaining the complex (OK, weird) culture of bicycle road racing. They have done this with such good humor that I must warn you, do not read this book while drinking milk. At some point in the book you will not be able to contain yourself and you will make a mess laughing out loud.

Writer Smith takes the reader step by step through the equipment, time consuming training, eating habits and the rest of the near obsessive life style successful bike racing entails. He then segues to cycle racing tactics, the inevitable crashes and how a day at a bicycle race is structured. Along the way he translates the odd language of cycling, clearly defining each word that would be foreign to the person new to the sport.

The book's purpose is to be a guide for those who want to understand that strange fellow with the beer cooler strapped to his head and oddly-shaped shaved legs. He also gives out lots of sage and valuable advice to racers, such as "Another important and powerful action is to find and thank the sponsors for footing the bill for the event [race]. If they are not on-site, then each roadie should write a letter of thanks within the following month." Gosh, if every racer did that, we'd have a rich racing calendar that would make the bike-mad Belgians green with envy.

Jef Mallett, the award-winning creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon "Frazz", illustrates Smith's first-rate text with lots of wonderful pictures. As a roadie himself, Mallett understands cycling, and his cartoons are hilarious because they are spot-on true. Smith gives a detailed explanation of what happens to a rider when he doesn't eat enough. The crippling weakness that occurs when the body can no longer supply the needed food to the muscles is called the "bonk". Mallett's cartoon of a blank- faced, starved rider sitting on the ground with a tow-truck backing up to take him away is perfect. It could only have been drawn by someone who has at least once forgotten to bring along enough chow and wondered if he would make it home.

Smith says every rider has a "bonk" story and the memory of that misery is etched indelibly in his memory. He got that right! 20 years ago I was stuck 10 miles from home and came upon some tomatoes by the side of the road that a harvesting truck had spilled while going around a corner. Those were the best tomatoes I ever ate and they got me home.

I'm not sure if it's better that Smith and Mallett have shown that my own shaved-legged, loner, obsessive life isn't all that rare or that I'm really in a looney bin with a bunch of other crazed people who can be spotted a mile away because of the odd tans that wearing bike clothing causes.

In any case, get and read this book. I recommend it not only to those interested in the roadie (bicycle road racer) life. It is also a good refresher course for any racer on the ins and outs of cycling. And it's funny as all get-out.
-Bill McGann, author of "The Story of the Tour de France"

If you have ever struggled to explain why you ride your bike, why you race, why you shave your legs, why anyone would drive 4 hours to race for one hour, and what's the motivation to your madness to friends and family, then this is the book for you!

I wish all of my ex-girlfriends, as well as a few of my ex-wives, and all of my former in-laws had read it.

Well written. Easy to read. Hard to put down.

Jamie knows the world of bicycle racing and it shows. I lost count of the number of times I said, "See honey...it's not just me!" or resorted to laughing loud enough to wake the dead.

The book is filled with simple, no-nonsense explainations of why we (Roadies) do what it is we do. It is perfect as a gift for that person in your life that is left to deal with your Roadie lifestyle or for yourself (a Roadie) - simply for entertainment.

The illustrations by Jef Mallett are simply amazing (as always). He does a wonderful job of displaying a self-critical summing up complex social behaviours in a single illustration.

This is a book that should be added to everyone's cycling collection.

I don't race, but I'm an avid roadie and bike mechanic. This is a great book for friends and relatives who frequently ask, "Why do you spend so much time riding a bike?" Whether serious to build a relationship and mutual understanding or as a humerous conversation piece, it would make a great gift...to cyclists of all levels (to have a greater appreciation of the competitive realm) or noncyclists who are close to cyclists. It is easy to read without getting too technical, it has humor infused throughout, the sidebar boxes are great but not distracting, and Mallet's cartoon's are classic (I've been a fan of Frazz for years).

One has to have a connection to cycling to fully appreciate it, but it is a worthy read.

This is a nice book that talks about the sub-culture of cycling. It is in an easy to read, humorous format

I enjoyed the book, even though it didn't have a lot I didn't already know...the style is fun. This book would make a nice gift to someone who is close to an avid cyclist, which I think is what the author intends. It is also a good read for the weekend warrior - to see how much you have in common with a real roadie...more than you'd think.

I picked this book up on a whim -- I ride a bicycle very slowly to work, and have no interest in racing whatsoever. But the illustrations were great, and I read a few paragraphs and laughed, and thought it might be fun to learn about a "misunderstood world".

The book was consistently as informative and funny as the snippets I read while browsing. In the Acknowledgments, Smith writes "if you find this book amusing, the Smith farm in Davisburg is where it started." His writing style sounds like someone telling you a story at the family dinner table, as everyone is picking at a second piece of pie. It's straightforward, and funny.

I finished it in about 2 days, and found myself explaining the difference between time trials and criteriums to my husband while we washed the dishes tonight. I also had to read bits of it aloud to him. I'm sure he's very glad to know that you can fit 3 bikes into a shower stall.

I remembered seeing bikes flying in circles around a few blocks downtown last summer, and I've found the race date for this year and put in on my calendar. I will not; however, follow Smith's advice to bring a batch of chocolate chip cookies for the race announcer.

This was a very funny read. I am a racer myself and loved the book. This book is even better for friends and family who do not fully understand what is means to be a racer. Very light read, easy to get through, funny, all around awesome book!

Now go buy it!

This book hits the nail on the head concerning the world of road bicycle racing. Though it says it's aimed at the loved ones of a "roadie" (as we like to call ourselves) it is also very educational for anyone thinking about getting into, or just starting out in the world of cycle racing.