In 2012, Joe Barr almost died from altitude sickness on the infamous 11,000-ft Wolf Creek Pass in a Race Across America attempt. The infamous 3,200-mile race is non-stop, ultra-cycling at its most extreme. In 2014, Joe returned and received the coveted Finisher's medal, and in 2019, at the age of 60, he went back again and won his category. This story of extreme perseverance begins on a yellow Raleigh Chopper on the streets of Co. Derry, where Joe, trying to escape the harsh everyday reality of the Troubles as a young Catholic boy in an all-Protestant school, went on long bicycle rides into the countryside, dreaming of one day taking part in cycling's grand tours. When his baby son was diagnosed with cancer, Joe got on the bike with a different purpose and won his first endurance race, the 1,300-mile, non-stop Race Around Ireland. Since then, Joe has won major World Cup races all over the world. This is a story of unimaginable grit, and of what it takes to keep going despite countless obstacles and to persevere when failure seems inevitable.

A literary sports classic, finally available in the U.S. Originally published in Holland in 1978, "The Rider" became an instant cult classic, selling over 100,000 copies. Brilliantly conceived and written at a break-neck pace, it is a loving, imaginative, and, above all, passionate tribute to the art of bicycle road racing. Not a dry history of the sport, "The Rider" is beloved as a bicycle odyssey, a literary masterpiece that describes in painstaking detail one 150-kilometer race in a mere 150 pages. "The Rider" is the ultimate book for bike lovers as well as the arm-chair sports enthusiast.

German Baron Karl von Drais first introduced the two-wheeled tandem human-powered wooden-framed vehicle to the world, in the summer of 1817, its rider gamely steering with the front wheel while pushing along with his feet. After that history is rather vague about the bicycle. We know that the mechanically powered velocipede took off in the 1860s, soon followed by the Penny Farthing, but it wasn't until the late nineteenth century that the golden age of bicycles took off as people realised the freedoms afforded by self-powered travel, and touring and racing became popular pastimes. Today of course cycling is a global phenomenon both in professional sporting and non-professional spheres. This book of stunning photographs charts the evolution of the bicycle across 200 years of history.

Keep your bike on the road for the long haul Whether you're training, competing, or simply riding for fun, a properly tuned bike is essential to performance, efficiency, and safety. That's where" Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repair" comes in.

Author Daimeon Shanks takes a straightforward "you can do it" approach to maintaining and repairing your bike so it's ready to go when you are.

"Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repair" provides simple step-by-step instructions, accompanied by up-close photos, illustrations, and advice, for more than 100 repairs. You'll learn these skills and more:

- Adjust derailleurs and troubleshoot shifting problems.

- True your wheels and tweak your hubs for a silky-smooth ride.

- Install caliper, cantilever, or V-brakes.

- Repair a broken chain on the roadside.

- Fix flats in no time flat.

- Maintain pedals and cleats for efficiency and comfort.

- Install or adjust a headset.

- Install handlebars, including aero bars and flat bars.

- Adjust your saddle for a perfect fit.

- Determine if a triple crankset is right for you.

So spend more time in the saddle and less time and money in costly repair shops. "Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repai"r is the one guide no cyclist should be without

In 2008, Mark Beaumont smashed the world record for cycling around the world, by an astonishing 81 days. His race against the clock took him through the toughest terrain and the most demanding of conditions. In 2009, Mark set out on his second ultra-endurance challenge. And this one would involve some very big mountains. The Man Who Cycled the Americas tells the story of a 15,000 mile expedition that once again broke the barriers of human achievement. To pedal the longest mountain range on the planet, solo and unsupported, presented its own unique difficulties. But no man had ever previously summited the continents' two highest peaks, Mt McKinley in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina, in the same climbing season, let alone cycling between them. Oh, and Mark had never even been up Ben Nevis before. Full of his trademark charm, warmth and fascination with seeing the world at the pace of a bicycle, Mark Beaumont's second book is a testament to his love of adventure, his joy of taking on tough mental and physical feats, and offers a thrilling trip through the diverse cultures of the Americas.