Resolve to Ride Your Bike More in 2009 with Jamie Smith and Jef Mallett

Kick Off a New Year of Riding with Roadie Author Jamie Smith and "Frazz" Illustrator Jef Mallett in Royal Oak

December 23, 2008 - Boulder, CO, USA - Make a New Year's resolution to ride more in 2009 at the Roadie event in Royal Oak, MI on January 2. Jamie Smith and Jef Mallett, the entertaining minds behind Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer, invite fellow bike riders and fans of the sport to join them at the American Cycle & Fitness Trek Bicycle Store of Royal Oak.

A Roadie New Year
Friday, January 2nd at 7:00 p.m.
American Cycle & Fitness Trek Bicycle Store of Royal Oak
29428 Woodward Avenue
(just North of Twelve Mile)
Royal Oak, MI 48073
americancycleandfitness.com | (248) 542-7182

Refreshments provided. Public welcome. Free of charge. Get your copy of Roadie autographed at American Cycle & Fitness!

Veteran race announcer and long-time roadie Jamie Smith sets out to explain the sport he loves and the roadies who live for it in his new book from VeloPress, Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer. With help from the pen of nationally syndicated cartoonist Jef Mallett, Roadie celebrates cycling as it explains the neurotic tendencies of the sport and its lifestyle, from shaved legs and garish jerseys, to garages full of bikes worth more than cars. Perfect for roadies and their confused friends, family, and co-workers, Roadie puts an end to the head scratching and leaves roadies laughing out loud as they revel in their misunderstood world. Roadie is available in bookstores, bike shops, and online.

Roadie begins by explaining the lifestyle of a roadie, or bike racer, through the staples of a roadie's life: devotion to the sport, the bike, the training ride, nutrition and bonking, and more. Smith offers "classroom sessions" about drafting and the breakaway, sprints and temporary alliances, and crashes. The book explains the rituals of race day, the referee and race rules, and the tenuous relationship between rider and sponsor. Finally, Roadie explores cycling's race formats and how friends and family can get involved in their Roadie's favorite pastime.

Roadie is needed more today than ever as more Americans take up cycling as riders, racers, and spectators. The New York Times has called cycling "the new golf" and thousands of people are buying shiny new road bikes each year. For these recreational and fitness riders, Roadie offers a much-needed primer on the lingo, the gear, even the politics of a group ride. Pacelines, drafting, sprinting, climbing, and breakaways are turned into everyday commonsense with colorful anecdotes.

Roadie is perfect for those who have ever walked away from a bike race completely puzzled, explaining strategy for each race format and how best to watch the action from roadside. Roadie brings the excitement of bike racing alive for anyone who has ever taken off the training wheels.

Jamie Smith has been a bike racer since 1983 and a bike race announcer since 1985, working his way up through the ranks of amateur cycling and traveling with some of the world's greatest cyclists. When he's not on his bike, Jamie is a public information officer and photographer for the City of Rochester Hills in Michigan. Please visit Jamie's blog at RidersReady.net.

Jef Mallett launched his "Frazz" comic strip in 2001 and it now runs in 150 newspapers nationwide. An avid cyclist and frequent triathlete, Mallett is a regular contributor to VeloNews and Inside Triathlon magazines.

Media copies, author events and interviews: Dave Trendler, Marketing and Publicity Manager, (303) 245-2138, dtrendler@competitorgroup.com

Shops and clubs can place wholesale orders through: Jen Soulé, Sales Manager, (800) 811-4210 x169, wholesale@competitorgroup.com