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Hell On Two Wheels: An Astonishing Story Of Suffering, Triumph, And The Most Extreme Endurance Race In The World (2011)

by Amy Snyder(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1600785255 (ISBN13: 9781600785252)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Triumph Books

review 1: It's probably a three-star-or-less book unless your fascinated by endurance sports and cycling. It covers the unique, mostly-uncelebrated "Race Across America" and follows a number of key members of the Solo/Male category in the 2009 race. It's a lot of details about chaffing and edema that most will find boring but I've always been enthralled by tales of physiological breakdown, training for endurance events and the extreme distances that talented, well-supported cyclists can cover on $5000 human-powered dream machines. Especially interesting are the stories of psychological turmoil, of extreme sleep deprivation causing riders to hop off the bike in the middle of the night to fight hallucinations of dragons or seeing visions of a Viagra-seeking David Beckham (I kid you n... moreot) trotting alongside them in the blistering heat of the great plains.2009 was a heck of a year to write a book about this event because it was one of the closest races ever as well as having some soap opera-worthy intrigue towards the end. It's impossible to capture all the gore and boredom and despair and elation that comes with an adventure this grand, but Snyder does an admirable job. It's an easy, fun read for cycling folk and a peek inside the madness of cycling folk if you're not one of 'em.
review 2: I've always enjoyed cycling and am an avid fan of the Tour de France. On many occasions I've watched that particular event in awe of the endurance and sacrifice displayed by its participants. Having read this book, however, I've learned that nothing compares to the RAAM (Ride Across America). I'm embarrassed that I've never paid more attention to this event! This book chronicles the 2009 RAAM by focusing on a handful of its 28 solo competitors. It is a fun read (especially for cycling fans) that successfully documents the grueling aspects of the race. less

Download links for: Hell on Two Wheels: An Astonishing Story of Suffering, Triumph, and the Most Extreme Endurance Race in the World

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