Grey Matter

So as I've said before, part of the obsession phase for me is reading every single thing about a given subject that I can get my hands on. So I have obviously been reading a bunch of books about bikes. Now first of, let me tell you, it is not so easy to find information about bicycles that doesn't have to do with racing or mountain biking or BMX bikes. I mean, it's not hard but it is a little more challenging. Since I'm not as interested in racing as I am in the utility aspect of biking, or even radonneuring or touring, I didn't want to read every biography and history of the the Tour de France and it's various winners. But, apparently these are the most popular and thus most accessible books to find. The local library has several books relating to this topic. I decided to get some of these and then dug a little deeper and found some other, more or less unknown (or at least un-marketed) books. Here's a little recap which I'll hope to add to over time:



It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life - Lance Armstrong
Ok I know. Could it be any more obvious that this was one of the first books that pops up on searches? But I figured it would at least have a human element to it and I was not disappointed. This book was moving. I teared up several times and actually cried a couple. There is something about the human spirit overcoming obstacles that speaks to us all. I'm not out to do a spoiler here, but suffice to say that this book was great. I had not thought about cycling as a job before reading this, onyl as a lifestyle or recreation. Next time I stumble across this, I'm grabbing a copy. It was uplifting.

Over the Hills: A Midlife Escape Across America by Bicycle - David Lamb
I'm not middle aged. I do, however, love a good travel story. This is just such a story. This book makes me want to say "Screw the rat race, screw the bills and obligations". What would happen if I set off across the country on my bike? Well, I would probably keel over dead before I hit the state line. But David Lamb doesn't. He constantly weaves bicycle lore and history (!) into the tale of his journey from Virginia to L.A. He paints with words beautiful portraits of the people he meets, showing their humanity. He exposes his doubts, his troubles and his triumphs. He rediscovers a faith in people and lives the definition of American-style freedom. This book will make you want to put it down, grab a bike and head out into the setting sun.



The Memory of Running: A Novel - Ron McLarty
Imagine a middle aged, balding, fat man. He is a manager in a toy factory, a Vietnam vet. He's a drunk. He's a lifelong bachelor whose parents are killed in a car wreck. A few days later, he gets a letter his sister has been located. She has been missing for over 2 decades. And she's finally turned up--in the morgue in Los Angeles. And now he's going to get her. On a bike. Smithy Ide is a first class loser. For a good part of the book, I didn't like him. But I found myself routing for him. This book can be a bit weird. It might make you uncomfortable in parts. Socially awkward scenes, death, psychosis, Vietnam. But this is the second time I've read this book and I liked it even more this time around. It's a story of beating personal demons, of the best and worst sides of people, of losing oneself and then finding onself again. It's a story of redemption.