It wasn’t that I faced shame like some brave and noble human, but rather that the racing, the failing at racing, and the succeeding at admitting I’d failed, shone a bright light on the shame that was in me. I mean, there it was: I couldn’t not see it [....] I believe all of us contend with our own personal demons... and that for each of us, our obsessions, whatever they are - bike racing for me, stamp collecting, gardening, or whatever - can teach us all we need to overcome or learn to live with those demons.In my weekly bike-related browsing, I came across this interview with Strickland, executive editor at Bicycling Magazine, and, more importantly, author of Ten Points, a very good memoir that weaves together bike racing, growing up in an abusive family, and lots of other big themes. The book is worth reading in itself, but the interview put the icing on the cake for me. Strickland proves eloquent, honest and incisive.
- Bill Strickland, interviewed at memorywritersnetwork.com
If you like bikes, thinking, and great writing, don't miss the interview or the book.
