Book Review: It’s All About the Bike
It’s All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels by Robert Penn
While chatting with the girls yesterday our conversation, unsuprisingly, was pretty bike focused. We were chatting about bike racing and I started to talk about a six, the 6 day racing comps which originated back in the 1800s when some nutter set himself the challenge of riding 1,000 miles in 6 days.
OK, so whilst that might not sound like too much of a challenge to some of you it’s important to bear in mind that the best bike available to him was a heavy and cumbersome machine which averaged a speed of 13.5 miles an hour and he covered the distance by doing laps of the agricultural hall. Needless to say, the crazy Victorians loved it and a new sport was born!
I was wondering to myself where on earth I had absorbed this random nugget of information from and remembered it was whilst reading Robert Penn’s amazing book It’s All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness On Two Wheels.
This true story is a dream read for any cyclist.
Rob, a lifelong cyclist, builds the bike of his dreams, scouring the globe for the key components to put this together. Not only do we meet many interesting characters as Rob transcribes his tale but he also introduces history and mechanics, both ancient and modern, on all things bike.
Reading Rob’s story you’ll learn a great deal about bikes but to be honest, my lasting memory of this book is the passion that reverberates right through it. Rob’s own passion, but also that of every single person he encounters. Its about following your dreams, doing what’s important to you, and having a wonderful time along the way.
