Books worth sharing….
Cycling: Philosophy for Everyone.
Many readers will know that I am a philosophy nerd. I did my BA in philosophy, and I continue to pursue wisdom, or, more specifically, Eudaimonia. Perpetual seeking and striving for wisdom defines the philosopher; the term itself is derived from the greek philo - loving, and sophia - knowledge and wisdom. We are not content to know what we know; those of knowledge comprehend the vastness of that which is unknown, unexamined. Wisdom defines those who understand the limits of their knowledge and the relationship between who they are and what they think.
Cycling: Philosophy for Everyone is a compilation of essays on a plethora of cycling-related topics, from learning to ride a bike to the ethics of performance enhancing drugs. On the balance, the essays are quite good. The interlude to 'Stage 5,' Velo Virtues, penned by Patrick Vala-Haynes is, quite frankly, one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I've even encountered in the cycling milieu. The rest of the book could be crap and I'd still think it was worth it for this piece. Imagine a mountain biker racing a horse on a familiar trail. I won't say more, you'll have to read it.
The Rider
Probably the most lucid storytelling from a bike racer's perspective in print, The Rider is an iconic cycling classic. Told from the first-person perspective, Krabbe captures the essence of bike racing like no other: a stream of consciousness woven into a detailed, multi-temporal tapestry that draws the reader into the psyche of a bike racer like no other. Krabbé threads insoluble nuggets of wisdom throughout his tale, rendering the book particularly insightful and enduring.