Italian Racing Bicycles: The People, The Products, The Passion traces the rich history of 40 landmark brands intimately connected with racing. The book is now available in bookstores, bike shops, and online.

Tracing the lineage of Italy's most cherished cycling brands back more than 100 years to the early days of the velocipede, this lushly illustrated hardcover book reveals through painstaking research and more than 230 photographs how Italy’s manufacturers have evolved into the brands beloved by the world’s cyclists today.

Not surprisingly, the brands have deep roots in cycling. They also share a hunger for advanced technology, pushing engineering to new heights with exotic metal alloys, elaborate weaves of expensive carbon fiber, and aerodynamic studies that help their bikes and riders cheat the wind for greater speed.

 

Beyond these commonalities, though, the stories diverge. The restless inquisitiveness of Ernesto Colnago could not be more different from the methodical calm of Ugo De Rosa, for example, and yet these two iconic frame builders contributed immeasurably to the racing victories of the great Eddy Merckx. The passion for experimentation of Pinarello, the brazen creativity of Cinelli, the barrier-bursting hour machine of Moser - in search of racing victories, the volcanic inspiration of Italian artisans has repeatedly reshaped the dynamics of cycling.

Melding painstaking historical research with personal visits to each artist's workshop, author Guido P. Rubino has unearthed the stories, the methods, the dreams, and the personalities of these cycling firms, large and small, that have contributed so fundamentally to the glory of the sport.

40 Historic Brands: 3TTT Alan Ambrosio Atala Bianchi Bottecchia Campagnolo Casati Cinelli Colnago Columbus Daccordi Dedacciai De Rosa Ganna Gios Gipiemme Guerciotti Legnano Masi Miche Milani Modolo Moser Olmo Olympia Passoni Pegoretti Pinarello Rossin Scapin Selle Italia Selle Royal-Fi'zi:k Selle San Marco Somec Tommasini Torpado Universal Viner Wilier Triestina

Hardcover with jacket 230 color and b&w photographs throughout
10 5/8" x 9 1/2", 192 pp., $39.95, 978-1-934030-66-0
Download the Table of contents and an excerpt (2 meg pdf).

About Guido P. Rubino

Guido P. Rubino (guidorubino.com) has been writing about cycling technology since 1996, with articles in such magazines as BiciSport, Cicloturismo, and MTB Magazine. He is the coauthor, with Paolo Faccinetti, of Campagnolo: 75 Years of Cycling Passion and author of La Bicicletta da Corsa and La Mountain Bike.

Team 7-Eleven Reveals the Inside Story of America's Greatest Cycling Team

In 1980, there were exactly four professional bike racers in America. Six years later, an American cycling team would wear the coveted yellow jersey of the Tour de France. And that same team would go on to win Italy's greatest race—the Giro d'Italia—only two years later. Team 7-Eleven is the extraordinary story of how two Olympic speed skaters, Jim Ochowicz and Eric Heiden, pulled together a small group of amateur cyclists and turned them into one of the greatest cycling teams the sport has known. From humble beginnings in a barn in Pennsylvania to soaring victories in the French Alps, Team 7-Eleven is the complete history that has never been fully told—until now.

The 7-Eleven Cycling Team launched the careers of American cycling superstars Andy Hampsten, Davis Phinney, Bob Roll, Ron Kiefel, and many more. It also changed the cycling world, creating a new team structure based on multiple stars, unified goals, and personal sacrifice for the greater good. And yet at the time it was formed, the number of American cyclists with world-class experience could be counted—literally—on one hand. And the number of American teams that competed in Europe's biggest races was exactly zero.

Team 7-Eleven is the amazing story of how two cycling fans found one exceptional sponsor and created the greatest American cycling team of its era.

Written with the enthusiastic cooperation of the team members, Team 7-Eleven will impress cycling fans with behind-the-scenes stories of the team's founding, its growing pains, and its lasting success as the team that established America as a powerhouse in the world of professional cycling.

Hardcover with jacket 100 color photographs
6" x 9", 320 pp., $27.95, 978-1-934030-53-0
Download the Table of contents and an excerpt (400kb pdf).

"The new Team 7-Eleven book brought back great memories. Och and Geoff did a great job capturing the evolution of the team. I want to thank Och for his tenacious energy and 7-Eleven for their financial support. Together, they gave us a chance to live out a kid's wildest dream." — Eric Heiden, 5-time Olympic Gold Medalist and Team 7-Eleven cofounder

"Team 7-Eleven is a true joy to read; it's very difficult to put down. Geoff Drake is to be congratulated on a book that successfully occupies two distinct spaces; it is an essential read if this period of cycing is one that passed you by, or one that is before your time. But it is also a more than indispensible appreciation of a team that undoubtedly occupies a favoured place in recent cycling history."— TheWashingMachinePost.net

About Geoff Drake and Jim Ochowicz

Geoff Drake is the former editor of Bicycling magazine and VeloNews, and has covered cycling events worldwide including the Tour de France and Olympic Games. He also writes regularly for national motorcycle magazines and is the author of Smooth Riding, a motorcycling book. He is an avid cyclist, a Category II road racer, and an Ironman triathlete. He lives in Aptos, California.

Jim Ochowicz is a two-time Olympic cyclist and former speedskater who cofounded the 7-Eleven cycling team in 1981. He managed 7-Eleven through 1991 and its successor, the Motorola Cycling Team, through 1995. He served four years as president of the board of directors of USA Cycling, and is currently the manager of the BMC Racing Team. He was inducted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1997.

Gazelle Sports Hosts “An Evening with The Penguin” John Bingham!

Kalamazoo, MI, USA — August 17, 2011 — Gazelle Sports Kalamazoo is proud to announce “An Evening with The Penguin,” an inspiring and funny conversation with celebrated running columnist and author John “The Penguin” Bingham.

Runners of all abilities—from podium seekers to the back of the pack—are invited to join Bingham as he tells stories about the unexpected joys of running and how he became an “adult-onset athlete” at the Wellspring Theater. Right after the talk, take a quick walk down the mall to meet Bingham in person at Gazelle Sports Kalamazoo and pick up an autographed copy of his new book An Accidental Athlete to inspire your running for the rest of the fall season.

A Conversation with The Penguin
Wednesday, August 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Wellspring Theater at the Epic Center
359 S Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 204
This event is free and open to the public.

Meet John “The Penguin” Bingham in Person!
Gazelle Sports
214 S Kalamazoo Mall
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269) 342-5996, www.gazellesports.com/events
This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments provided.

About John “The Penguin” Bingham and An Accidental Athlete
Known by fans as “The Penguin” for his back-of-the-pack speed, John Bingham is the unlikely hero of the modern running boom. In his new book An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age, the best-selling author and magazine columnist recalls his childhood dreams of athletic glory, sedentary years of unhealthy excess, and a life-changing transformation from couch potato to “adult-onset athlete.” In turns inspiring, poignant, hilarious, and heartbreaking, An Accidental Athlete is a warm and engaging book for the everyday athlete. Bingham tells stories of the joys of running—the pride of the finisher’s medal, a bureau-busting t-shirt collection, intense back-of-the-pack strategizing. An Accidental Athlete is about one man’s discovery that middle age was not the finish line after all, but only the beginning. Bingham is author of several books about running and featured columnist for Competitor magazine, spokesman of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, and race announcer of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. His popular column The Penguin Chronicles ran for 14 years in Runner’s World magazine. Learn more about The Penguin at johnbingham.com.

Gazelle Sports has been recognized by Competitor magazine as one of the nation’s Top 50 Running Retailers. Gazelle Sports’ three retail locations strive to provide the world’s best customer care, focusing on creating friendly, positive, and long-term relationships with customers.

Media and event contact:
Joan Orman, Gazelle Sports, (269) 342-5996, jorman@gazellesports.com, www.gazellesports.com/events

John "The Penguin" Bingham Pens Memoir for Everyday Athletes

Boulder, CO, USA — August 10, 2011 — Known by fans as "The Penguin" for his back-of-the-pack speed, John Bingham is the unlikely hero of the modern running boom. In his new book An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age, the best-selling author and magazine columnist recalls his childhood dreams of athletic glory, sedentary years of unhealthy excess, and a life-changing transformation from couch potato to "adult-onset athlete." An Accidental Athlete is now available in bookstores, running shops, and online. Download the book's introduction at velopress.com/penguin.

Overweight, uninspired, and saddled with a pack-and-a-half-a-day smoking habit, Bingham found himself firmly wedged into a middle-age slump. Then two frightening trips to the emergency room and a conversation with a happy piano tuner led him to discover running—and changed his life for the better.

In turns inspiring, poignant, hilarious, and heartbreaking, An Accidental Athlete is a warm and engaging book for the everyday athlete. Bingham tells stories of the joys of running—the pride of the finisher’s medal, a bureau-busting t-shirt collection, intense back-of-the-pack strategizing. An Accidental Athlete is about one man's discovery that middle age was not the finish line after all, but only the beginning.

"The Penguin does it again! An Accidental Athlete is a charming, witty and relatable tale of John finding himself through running. In this great book he shares his journey with us one stride and two laughs at a time." — Deena Kastor, American marathon record holder, Olympic medalist, and 12-time national champion

"John 'The Penguin' Bingham has touched a nerve with runners worldwide like no one in the last decade. He's funny but serious, informal but inspirational, and his spoken and written words have become the rallying cry for tens of thousands of runners who have found a patron saint where they least expected one—in the back of the pack. With The Penguin as their leader, they have found not just the courage to start, but also the determination to finish." — Amby Burfoot, Runner’s World magazine

“Most of us can truly identify with John Bingham’s story: There are no gold medals, no laurel wreaths, no world records. But John shows us that we have something more important: a chance, if we have the will and believe in ourselves." — Dave McGillivray, Boston Marathon race director

An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age
John "The Penguin" Bingham
Paperback, 5" x 8", 212 pp., $16.95, 978-1-934030-73-8
Available now in bookstores, running shops, and online

John "The Penguin" Bingham is author of several books about running and featured columnist for Competitor magazine, spokesman of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, and race announcer of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series. His popular column The Penguin Chronicles ran for 14 years in Runner's World magazine. Learn more about The Penguin at johnbingham.com.

VeloPress is an endurance sports and fitness publisher with books on cycling, triathlon, running, swimming, nutrition and diet, yoga, and the histories and personalities of our sports. VeloPress is the book-publishing division of Competitor Group, which publishes Velo, Triathlete, Inside Triathlon, and Competitor magazines and produces the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, TriRock triathlon series, and the Muddy Buddy adventure race series.

For author interviews and events, free media sample copies, or more information, please contact:
Dave Trendler, (303) 245-2138, dtrendler@competitorgroup.com

Running shops can order books or request author events through wholesale@competitorgroup.com.

VeloPress Updates Triathlon’s Most Popular Swimming Resource, Swim Workouts for Triathletes

Boulder, CO, USA — June 10, 2011 — The most popular swimming resource in triathlon is now new and improved. Swim Workouts for Triathletes, 2nd Ed. is the best-selling collection of swim workouts in triathlon. This waterproof book that triathletes can take to the pool helps triathletes make every lap count. The book is now available in bookstores, tri shops, and online. Triathletes and swimmers can download 5 free swim workouts at www.velopress.com/swim.

It’s no secret: Most triathletes are weak swimmers. Too many triathletes neglect their swimming form and rely on unfocused workouts. The result is lost time on race day.

Swim Workouts for Triathletes features 80 freestyle swim workouts with the structure, variety, and drills triathletes need to become more efficient swimmers. Each workout is designed around a specific goal—endurance, speed, form, force, muscular endurance, or anaerobic endurance—making it easy to prepare for any race and improve all-around swimming skill.

Triathletes can pick and choose workouts, slotting them into their current training, or begin one of the four new swim training plans from these accomplished swim coaches. Triathletes who take Swim Workouts for Triathletes with them to the pool will strengthen their swim and become better triathletes. The second edition of Swim Workouts for Triathletes includes:

• Waterproof, spiral-bound pages with big, high-contrast lettering for easy reading through goggles
• The 10 best drills for improved freestyle performance
• 30-minute sessions to fit a quality workout into a busy day
• Open-water workouts to get ready for race day
• Beginner & advanced swim sets for each workout
• 4 training plans for sprint, Olympic & half-Ironman®, Ironman®, and general fitness

Swim Workouts for Triathletes, 2nd Ed.: Practical Workouts to Build Speed, Strength, and Endurance
Gale Bernhardt and Nick Hansen
Spiral-bound waterproof paper with 4-color interior
5"x 7", 120 pp., $29.95, 978-1-934030-75-2

Gale Bernhardt is one of the most experienced and accomplished coaches in triathlon. She coached the U.S. triathlon teams for both the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and the 2003 Pan American Games, and she has served as a world cup coach for the International Triathlon Union development squad. Gale holds the highest certifications offered by USA Triathlon and USA Cycling. She is author of four VeloPress books for cyclists and triathletes.

Over the course of his coaching career, Nick Hansen has been at the helm of some of the nation’s most prestigious swimming programs: U.S. National Team swimming coach, University of Wisconsin head coach, University of Arizona assistant coach, and masters swim coach. Nick holds a graduate degree in exercise physiology and formerly served at the University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine Clinic.

For review copies, free workouts for republication, and author interviews, please contact:
Dave Trendler, Marketing and Publicity Manager, (303) 245-2138, dtrendler@competitorgroup.com

Distributors and specialty retailers please order through:
Jen Soulé, Sales Manager, (800) 811-4210 x2169, wholesale@competitorgroup.com, velopress.com/shops