Evolution of American Bicycle Racing - Paperback

by Lou Dzierzak (Author), Caroline Hardman (Author)

The popularity of American bicycle racing has ebbed and flowed over the years, but thanks to the American's decade of dominance in European road racing, including the Tour de France, competitive cycling in America is seeing a popularity greater than at any other time since the early 20th Century when bike races outdrew all other American sports combined.

Back Jacket

Lance Armstrong is a household name the world over. But how could a cyclist from the United States so dominate the world's most grueling sporting event--an event Americans weren't even invited to compete in just decades earlier? In this revolutionary book, Lou Dzierzak explains how key races and landmark events brought American cyclists out of obscurity and made them internationally dominating competitors. Six-day races, road racing, track racing, and legendary cycling performances at home and abroad--the significant events in the history of American cycling come alive within these pages. - Discover America's first bicycle racing superstars. Is Lance Armstrong truly the best of all time? Maybe not.- Follow the action at key U.S. and international races that paved the way for sponsorship dollars, American pro teams, and dominating American cyclists like Andy Hampsten, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, and George Hincapie.- Witness nearly a century of drugs, doping, and scandals, from cocaine use during the six-day races in the late1890s, to blood boosting at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, to the scandal-plagued 2006 Tour de France victoryby American Floyd Landis.- Look to the future as new U.S. stage races form, Under 23 development teams thrive, and new heroes of American cycling begin to emerge.

Author Biography

Lou Dzierzak walked away to become a full-time writer after sixteen years planning advertising campaigns for clients like Harley-Davidson, Jolly Time Popcorn, Tony's Pizza, Red Wing Shoe Company, and K2, His first book, a history of Schwinn bicycles, was published in 2002. Lou is an active cyclist and fan of bicycle racing in all forms.