A book on Road Racing Strategies by Chris Horner and Jamie Smith

October 9th, 2013 9:15am

I am an avid reader and have read most of the bicycling books published the last 10 years (see reviews). Even ones I knew were rubish. While I have not read this one, I will. Simply for the fact that is seems to be a practical guide to racing on the road and I for one could use a faster learning curve at learning how to be smarter in these situations. I can't remember the last time I saw a book that didn't involve doping or some ego driven agenda. So without further blubbering on, here is the official press release of the book. I will give you my take on it when I get my copy.

Racing Veterans Chris Horner and Jamie Smith Teach Bike Racing Strategy in "Reading the Race"

Boulder, CO, USA - October 9, 2013 - In Reading the Race, race announcer Jamie Smith and veteran road captain Chris Horner team up to deliver a master class in bike racing strategies and tactics. Armed with strategies and tactics learned over thousands of races, cyclists and cycling fans will learn how to read a race-and see how to win it. Reading the Race is now available in bookstores, bike shops, and online. Read the first chapter at www.velopress.com/racesmarts.

Bike racing is called a rolling chess game for a reason. A high pain threshold and a killer VO2max are valuable, but riders in it to win it need race smarts. Starting breaks, forming alliances, managing a lapped field, setting up a sprint-on every page, Horner and Smith offer new secrets to faster bike racing and better results.

Smith and Horner break down errors seen even among Euro pros, guiding riders with lessons learned from decades of racing experience. Reading the Race reveals the veteran's-eye view on:

* Assembling the best possible team
* Crafting strategies around the team, course, and rivals
* Reacting instantly to common scenarios
* Making deals and combines
* Breaks, echelons, and blocking
* Pack protocol and etiquette
* Finishing in the prize money or on the podium
* Winning the group ride

New racers, aspiring pros, team managers, and even roadside fans can elevate their cycling IQ with Reading the Race.

Reading the Race: Bike Racing from Inside the Peloton
by Jamie Smith with Chris Horner
Paperback with illustrations throughout.
256 pp. - $18.95

Jamie Smith is a veteran bike racer and bike race announcer. He has been a bike racer since 1983, working his way up through the ranks of amateur cycling, and a bike race announcer since 1985, traveling with some of the world's greatest cyclists. He is the author of Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer with illustrator Jef Mallett.

Chris Horner is one of cycling's most popular and observant riders, blessed with a rare ability to read a race in progress and describe it fluently afterward. He began his long pro career in the U.S. in 1995 with PAA-NutraFig; moved to Europe for three years with Française des Jeux; and then returned to America to guide the Mercury, Prime Alliance, Saturn, and Webcor teams, with whom he won nearly every major race on the domestic calendar. A three-time national racing calendar champion, winner of the 2013 Vuelta a España, Tour de Langkawi, the Tour de Georgia, the Tour of the Basque Country, and the Tour of California, Horner led the 2012 U.S. Olympic squad and currently rides for RadioShack-Leopard-Trek, where his veteran counsel and unflappable temper make him the go-to guy for tactics, race smarts, and planning.