Reading the Race: Bike Racing from Inside the Peloton

Reading the Race: Bike Racing from Inside the Peloton by Jamie Smith with Chris Horner is a must read for any and all road racers out there.  Road racing is often described as chess match on wheels, and the strategies and subtle nuances that take place during can be mind boggling.  Reading the Race helps to clarify what is going on, and help the reader become a more smart and efficient racer.

Not only is it extremely educational, it's an enjoyable read.  Jamie Smith writes in a such a way that is engaging, lively, and clear.  His dry sense of humor was greatly appreciated, as well as helping to keep things in perspective.  In addition, there were many anecdotes from Chris Horner and his amazing experiences of racing around the globe.  There is even a section on time trialing which I found very interesting.

This book is appropriate for the Cat 5 toeing the line in their first event, to the Cat 1 with decades of race experience.  While I'm far from being a master race tactician nor do I claim to know all the ins and outs, I've been road racing since '96, I've spent hundreds of hours listening to Paul and Phil break down pro races from around the globe, and my stack of Velonews was quite a sight .  Despite this experience, I gained new insight and perspective throughout the book, and had many fundamental practices reinforced.

This is definitely one for the bookshelf  Check it out at: Velo Press.

Enjoy the read,

Coach B.L.