Thanks Pinky,
That response was pure dignity. I hope you have a lively discussion in the office. I know that there are at least two people who see things my way walking the halls of
The Ride, but I'm not going to tell you who they are in hopes that they can change your mind using guerilla tactics. I'll stop at nothing to recruit readers who will help promote my book, and maybe there's still hope for you. If
The Race ever takes off mainstream, it will be due to the efforts of early readers in the cycling world who helped to spread the word.
One of my goals with this book was to introduce new people to cycling. My initial drafts were well received by cyclists, but non-cyclists often had no idea what I was talking about. So I had to go back and figure out ways to bring the newbies up to speed without drawing too much attention to explanations, dialogue, and thoughts that might seem basic for someone well versed in the sport. It was a challenging balance, and I know I didn't always walk a perfect line. The encouraging thing is that I get frequent e-mail from non-cyclists saying things like, "After reading your book, I couldn't help dusting off my mountain bike. I went for a ride and had a ton of fun." Or, "I had a whole new respect for athletes when it was over and understood, for the first time, what it must be like to push yourself to limits that go beyond physical exertion and right into mental strength. I never knew there was so much strategy that went into cycling!" Marty Jemison told me that he believes one day someone will stand on the podium of a Grand Tour and think back to why they fell in love with cycling. He says the answer will be, reading
The Race. If that ever happens, no matter what sorts of reviews I get, I will have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.
CNN has invited me on for an interview 4/18 at 10:45 a.m. Eastern. Provided that I don't get bumped by breaking news (that's happened twice so far), maybe this will be my chance to introduce that future Grand Tour podium finisher to my book.
Tailwinds,
Dave Shields
My Website