The University of Nebraska Press is now in production for the Second Edition of "Hearts of Lions: The History of American Bicycle Racing," for release in the spring of 2020.
This edition from author Peter Joffre Nye recounts the development of bicycle racing in the United States, explains why its popularity faded, and profiles major men and women cyclists from the past through the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Revised, updated, and expanded, this second edition of "Hearts of Lions" is based on personal interviews with more than 1,000 cyclists whose racing careers span from 1908 through the Rio Olympics, along with interviews with trainers, family members, and race promoters.
Included are stories about Joseph Magnani, the lone American from southern Illinois who rode on French and Italian professional teams against Coppi, Bartoli, and the rest of the boys in the band in road racing's golden era of the 1930s and 1940s; Lance Armstrong, whose rise in the mid-1990s was eclipsed in the doping era that still casts a long shadow over the sport; Kristin Armstrong, a three-time Olympic gold medalist who set new standards for women in cycling; and Evelyn (Evie) Stevens, who chucked a Wall Street career in her mid-twenties to compete in two Olympics and win several Worlds gold medals; and Donald J. Trump, the future president who put his name on the international stage race called the Tour de Trump.
Retail is $39.95. More information: nebraskapress.unl.edu
