Racing Reviews

This work is excellent for anyone planning to engage in
amateur cycling. The book explains the dynamics of goal setting,
resistence training, skills honing, peaking and aerobic
energy to deliver maximum oxygenation throughout the body.
The author shows how to customize a training scheme for each
athlete. He explains how group rides quicken the general speed
of the workout. Later on, he explains how carbo-loading helps
to boost glycogen while increasing insulin concentration,
growth hormones and the absorption of testosterone. The work
opens up a whole new dimension to a working out regimen.
I would supplement this work with a professional trainer or
knowledgable workout partner.

Chris Carmichael is a genius in the world of cycling. This book is clear, concise and makes sense. I've known Chris Carmichael for almost 2 years (he is my personal coach) and the information presented in this book is largely the same as he instructs me personally on a daily basis. The bad review by Bellamy is a farce. Nothing but a grudge ... I've bought many copies and am sharing them with friends and family. This is the book!

In a review of Chris Carmichael's previous book, "Lance Armstrong Performance Program: Seven Weeks to the Perfect Ride", I (as JDWEB) said that it was excellent, but didn't go far enough for serious athletes. I think that problem has been largely corrected in this book, and I am happy with this purchase. What I really like in this new book is that he presents some novel ideas on the subject of training, and explains them in sufficent detail. He also goes into more detail on key subjects such as nutrition (talking about about amounts of protein per kg of body weight, for example, not just in terms of dietary percentages).

I have studied LOTS of books on training, and I do quite well as an athlete given my age (39) and limited number of hours of training available. I've been periodizing my workouts with macrocycles and microcycles right back to the Lemond days, for example. This new book is the first one I've seen in awhile with FRESH ideas on what intensity to train at, and how to find that level for yourself. CC (aka "The Kid") tells us how he had to train LA in a less stressful way, and why it works. For example, you improve your power fastest if you train just under your Anaerobic Threshold, rather than at it or just over. That was a surprise to me. CC also bases his training intensities not on Max Heart Rate, which everyone else has written about ad naseum, but instead on your heart rate during a 3 mile time trial. This is especially relevant to me, as I am just building my muscular development for running is ahead of my development for cycling, so my intensity for cycling is lower than for running (the muscles are a bottle neck). This is cool stuff that makes sense, and very relevant to triathletes, too, as you can see.

The book was mostly disappointing in that it didn't have an index, so you couldn't look for "rest" and find all the references in the text, for example. That's a hinderance. The book also needs explanatory pictures of some bike handling techniques, as I said in my review of his other book. But overall, this book is very valuable in demonstrating a new approach to training, and worth every penny.

At this point I have 30 or so Francis novels, and though some are better than others, this was the first to truly let me down. The premise is wonderful, but really goes nowhere, and soon the novel is awash with unintresting bit players whos outlines are very vague. The protaginist, Tor Kelsy, is intresting at first, but he to becomes leaden and unintresting for much of the novel. I would have given this title even less than 3 stars had the concept not been so fresh, and the burgeoning romance between Tor and his leading lady not been so touching. A mystery set on a train, given that the story must fit a certain schedule, should race along. This novel starts fast, then becomes mired in boing and unreal plot developments. If you are an ardent Francis fan, then you need this for your collection. If lookong for a mystery as a passing fancy, Mr.Francis has 40 or so better novels to help pass your time

This book was wonderful, it had all the twists and turns of any of Francis's best, I loved every aspect of this book, from the main character Tor Kelsy, to the evil villian Julius Apollo Filmer. the only thing that lost the one star is Francis's over use of the quintessential Canadian term "Eh", he implied that there are some Canadians (Like The Conductor), who use this after every sentence eh, I am a Canadian proud and true eh, and the over use of this word was painful to my mind eh, so much so, that I considered not finishing the book eh, but when the book was finished i was glad I had read through the tough parts eh. If you think i used eh too much, well better get used to it, because there was dialogue between Tor and the conductor which would litterally go on for a page like that.

If you ever wanted to know what it's like as an undercover operative, this is an excellent example. The main charactor is very convincing in both his means and his methods. That's all. Just give it try and see if you agree.

I have read the entire series thus far (#7) and have enjoyed the story line and the realism of NASCAR racing. These books won't win any prizes, but they do a good job of relaying the excitement of NASCAR. The story is somewhat predictable at times, but it is still good and moves along nicely. I think what I enjoyed the most is the history that has been added to the stories. The history is basically all factual (with the exception of the fictional characters), from the roots of stock car racing to the Young Guns of today. I only wish the history would have continued through the 70's and 80's instead of skipping from '69 to the late 90's. Overall though I kept waiting for the next one to arrive to find out what was next.

As a relative newcomer to stock car racing, I picked up this book because I thought I might better be able to enjoy watching races if I had a sense of the history of the sport, and if I could get some idea of what it is like for the racers. This book did a fantastic job of both. I don't know what it's really like, driving in a stock car race, but I can't imagine it feels much different from the way these authors describe it.

When I read the Rolling Thunder books, I find myself getting really caught up in the emotions of the race. I root for Jodell to win, and find myself getting upset when he loses the lead or it looks like he might get in an accident. I also can't wait to see what happens next in the characters' personal lives. That wouldn't happen if the authors didn't do such a great job of creating likeable, three-dimensional characters.

The Rolling Thunder series might not ever be remembered in the annals of great literature, but they provide a good, solid couple of hours of entertainment. As I can attest, you don't have to be a racing fan to enjoy the books, though after reading one you just might find yourself wanting to watch a real race. For me, these books are like potato chips: they're quick and easy to devour, and as soon as you're finished, you want another one.

HAVING ATTENDED RACES FOR 34 YEARS IN THE SOUTHEAST STARTING AT AGE 12, THIS BOOK IS VERY REALISTIC. PURCHASED THREE ADDITIONAL COPIES FOR FRIENDS IN THE RACING COMMUNITY. LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THE ENTIRE SERIES.

I was glad to see a harness racing novel published. Unfortunatly, it didn't take long for me to start to find faults in the book. It seemed to me that the author did know harness racing but not from a stable point of view. Real trainers don't have that much time on their hands to run around and solve mysteries. The most obvious problem was how Tony, a trainer for only five years, could manage to have five hundred wins with the number of horses he had. Not likely.All in all, I did like the book it just seemed too tidy to be realistic.

The plot kept me involved and the characters became real. The milieu of harness racing is fresh and interesting. The hero is competent and low key in a (I hate to overuse a comparison, but it's impossible to avoid) very Dick Francis kind of way. I would be very interested in any new titles by this author.

As a horse racing nut I found Dead Horses to be great reading. It's the first mystery novel set at a harness race track that I have ever read. I could not figure out who the murderer was until the final pages of the book. It was that well written and thought out.

For a novice or newcomer to horse racing there is a great glossary at the back that will keep you abreast of the racing lingo as you learn the in's and out's of the racing world.

With this being Pat Hewitt's first novel I hope and look forward to reading the second one. She has the style to be the Dick Francis of harness racing.

Pacific northwest software mogul Rex Wyman (wonder whom he's patterned after?) has created
the ultimate racing yacht. Humans are mearly along for the ride in this craft, which is completely
run by computer, from navigation to the working of the sails. In a bid to save his suddenly
floundering company, Rex organizes the ultimate yacht race across the Bering Sea, with the
hope that his amazing technological wonder will open new markets for his company. As
increasingly dangerous "accidents" begin to happen shortly after the starting line, the race
becomes one to stop Wyman from pulling an Ahab, and getting everyone aboard killed.

A good alternative title for this book could be "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sailing Gear."
The author is obviously fascinated by all things seaworthy, with descriptions of various types of
vessels bordering on obsessive. But there is an adventure/mystery described, as well, which he
does fairly well. The characters aren't new, but the action is worthy of a beach read.

FORCE 12 is a fairly exciting and thrilling story of a billionaire soft-ware magnate who creates a computerized sailboat and enters it in a gruelling and dangerous yacht race from San Francisco to Japan through the Bering Sea. He believes the publicity about the boat's software, which pilots the 155 foot Victory (which has a 30 foot beam and 75 ton keel) and replaces a 20 man crew, will increase revenue and sales in his other companies.

Initially the trip is flawless, but gradually accidents occur on the boat and sabotage is expected. Since there are several video cameras on the boat, every movement is witnessed by millions of viewers from around the world and the persona of a forceful man of wealth and power begins to disintegrate.

Besides a mystery, the highlights of the book are the descriptions of being in a boat at the mercy of the sea. It rivals THE PERFECT STORM for its descriptions of the waves and feelings of helplessness while caught in the power of the open ocean.

FORCE 12 is worth reading if you're a James Thayer fan but he's certainly written better. The plot was a little too unrealistic for me but the sailing scenes made it worth the time, especially if you enjoy seeing powerful men in hopeless situations brought down to earth.

I took this book to Hawaii, and the last 100 pages kept me out of the water. I couldn't go swimming until I finished.

This book seems more concerned with anecdotes about professional cyclists than it is with providing information for the recreational cyclist. It has way too much crowing by the author about his cycling exploits and some dubious advice ("Breathe through your nose.") There is some mystifying blather ("The modern-day road ride is a big-ring hammerfest, where style and form disappear as riders start getting blown off the back when the action heats up.") and an interview with some guy who rides 1,000 miles a week-worthless for the average rider. Some good advice about hydration and safety but not much else.

As a long-time car driver who just made the 'switch' to cycle commuting, I had a lot of anxieties regarding safe and intelligent operation of a bicycle on roads shared with automobiles. This book served the purpose admirably and got me riding safe and sane on the streets of Manhattan, something I wouldn't have believed possible a couple months ago.

There are sections on how to equip your bike, how to follow the rules of the road, and tips and tricks bikers need to know to coexist safely in traffic. There are also sections on what to eat and drink, how to train effectively to increase your abilities, and how to get into serious long-distance touring - things which I hadn't originally been interested in but which were fun to read about. I think what I liked best about the book was that it was clearly written by enthusiasts who've spent a lot of time riding and a lot of time thinking about how to convey their skills and enthusiasms to the public.

If I had a criticism, it'd be that the book suffers by being a collection of separate magazine articles not originally intended for publication in this form, so some information is repeated and coherence is sort of loose. But it's not a major criticism and I'd recommend the book anyway.

I really enjoyed reading this book. As somone who is just getting into cycling I found it to be a good sampling of information wtth the right amount of technical depth for the beginner.

i've read many books on thoroughbreds, and only horse of a different color by squires is worse. three strides before the wire has to be equally as bad, but in a totally different way. it's painfully obvious from the start that this is a book written 50 years after the events depicted took place. no real insight is given into the horse, as almost everyone associated with citation are dead and the only person that really comments in the book is arcaro. this is especially disappointing because i was hoping for a book a la secretariat: making of a champion by nack which talks to everyone associated with the horse (but then again, nack was present as the story was unfolding, unlike this book written 50+ years after the fact). the book is also very short, yet like a high school freshman-like paper it is packed with so much filler to get the requisite number of pages needed for printing. the author may have been a good horse racing announcer, but unfortunately that doesn't work in print as the book somehow plays out like a long-winded race call which is quite the nightmare in print. the author loves citation, and tries to brainwash the reader by building up the horse once or twice a page, EVERY PAGE, with filler prose with all the normal 'greatest ever' hype ('best horse to ever look through a bridle', 'greatest thoroughbred ever', 'better than man o'war' etc. trust me it gets old when you're on page 15 and you've already been told 50,000 times that even though he was two he was already the greatest ever, blah blah blah). probably best to stick with charlie hatton's opinion, former editor of the DRF and who has seen more horses than you and i combined, in his belief that citation was not the best thoroughbred of all time (secretariat, man o'war, native dancer were better in hatton's opinion). also, the author continually refers to citation's owners as 'the jones boys', which works in indiana jones movies but not in a book about a horse. avoid like the plague, unless you enjoy throwing your money away.

It ain't bad, but it do go on and on and on about the same old things. Good picture of the racing world of the time and of Calumet in its heyday.
BUT where's the horse? We know how he looks-what he does on the track-the fact that he's intelligent,etc. Where are the anecdotes that endear or amaze that a reader finds in Native Dancer, The Making of Secretariat, and other books of the same type? Maybe the info is no longer available. A pity. Sidenote: My grandfather worked for Southern Saddlery, and I saw Citation and Coaltown when they were colts at Calumet.

Even if you've never visted a racetrack, stood by the rail near the wire and experienced those beautiful Thoroughbreds thunder down the homestretch, feeling the wind in your hair as they flash past you...you'll feel as if you have, once you read Phil Georgeff's "Citation, In A Class by Himself!"

Not only an avid reader & fan of great racers, I exercise race horses and working toward my trainer's license. If you want to feel pure freedom and excitement, hop on a thoroughbred and race with the wind. Or just go for a ride on a riding (pleasure) horse one day! You'll find a joy that can't be compared to anything! Except maybe, to reading this wonderful book! As for reading about horses, this book tops the list. It's great!

While exercising horses with dreams of becoming a jockey, 17 year old Phil Georgeff saw the "Mighty Cy", a great thoroughbred "live & in person" at Washington Park & other various times."...1947 the day I first laid eyes on Citation. He was a fine upright two year old...Instinctively I sensed thoroughbred greatness in the making. Happily I was right."

"From 1941, until 1953 as race track publicity employee...until I called my first race May 18, 1959, until retirement in 1992 with a world record 96,131 "calls" under my belt, I devoted countless hours discussing, recalling, reviewing and reliving Citation's grand career with everybody I met and knew. And I mean everybody...Calument farm's Warren and Lucille Wright, trainers Ben and Jimmy Jones, ....Eddie Arcaro, ...contact with sports writers Arch Ward,...Joe Palmer, Red Smith, Joe Agrella and Elmer Polzin... there was only one Citation!"

I loved this book! It's full of witty, engaging, exciting and nearly poetic word portraits about the great Triple Crown Winner and first millionaire in horse racing (winnings of 1,085,760!) --who raced with his gritty, never-say-die heart into history!

Citation won 16 races in a row, into his sixth year on nearly only three legs and scorning man-made pressures! A champion racer from coast to coast despite constant racing and crippling man-made adversities. He remains a champ even after becoming immortal on August 8, 1970.

This book'll pique your interest and imagination painlessly. It's full of life. Not one page is dry, boring nor filled with meaningless details and/or filler drivel!

It's a captivating account of a magnficent race horse. Phil Georgeff has written the definitive book on Citation! Above all, it gives the stalwart, dark bay stallion long overdue credit for his incredible career and will to win. The author's human touch reaches out and captivates you with Citation's own exhilerating and sensational dynamic will "to beat any horse he could see!"

I'm a sucker for horse stories that enthrall me and Phil Georgeff's "Citation" has accomplished this! It's full of life, is an enduring classic and heartwarming horse story that's worthy of an Eclipse Award! This book has Citation come alive and has an inspiring and bona fide Hollywood finish!

Written with love and honesty, verve and passion from a man who not only experienced but lived those golden days of racing then and now... and who is still thriving and writing more today!

Walk beside Mighty Cy as he competes, conquers and becomes a Sovereign in the Sport of Kings! Then, now and always!
"Citation...27 wins, two seconds in 29 starts...a great achievement for a six year old cripple who never knew the meaning of the word 'quit'!"

Like Cy, this book's a true stayer! A rousing, amicable heartening book! Enjoy reading this uplifiting,exciting book now -- before it becomes a widescreen, classic blockbuster film!

Because it's a natural for a horse racing epic movie waiting to be made! Hop on! Take a thrilling ride, you'll never forget!

Great Book! The book gives super information about the slot car hobby. The information is very basic though, so keep that in mind. Great pictures throughout.

This is a "must have" book for anyone either getting into slot cars or returning to slot cars as an adult. Robert Schleicher has an obvious passion for "true to scale" slot cars and doesn't let that passion get in the way of writing clearly. The book is a great source of information for the home slot car enthusiast particularly for 1/32 scale and to a lesser degree HO. He is not into "hopping up" slot cars and even states that it is more fun to win a race between equally matched cars using luck and skill than to win having the faster car. He does however, cover how to customize and optimize as well as performance match "ready to race" slot cars. The pictures are spectacular while the layouts and cars are worthy of the pictures. The book has quite a few typographical errors but weather you want to collect slot cars, build a detailed layout, both or just assemble your slot car set on the floor and race, this is a great book.

"Racing and Collecting Slot Cars" is a book for every slot car racer and collector. It's primary focus is HO and 1/32 scale slot cars; however, the information provided applies to all scales. This book is well layed out. Each chapter exploring a specific aspect of these table top racers. The photos (many in color) are EXCELLENT. Best book around on the topic. No book is perfect, but Mr. Schleicher does a great job.

Richard Petty is a backwards thinking racist who refers to African Americans as "colored folk". For this reason and for the additional reason that I would never buy anything recommended by NASCAR hack commentator Michael Daly, this book should be avoided at all costs.

If you ever wondered what kind of car Richard drove in which Season, this is the ultimate Book for you. Or if you are into building the Kings Cars in Scale Models, this is the only Book where you can get all the information you need, the rest (Model, Decals, etc.) is up to you

Very interesting and entertaining

For Kicks by Dick Francis. Pocket Books 1965

Good quick read.

In this, one of Francis' earlier books, Daniel Roke, and Australian, is hired by the Earl of October to try and discover how someone is fixing races by drugging the winners with an untraceable drug.. To do this he masquerades as a stable boy and shifts from horse yard to horse yard until he discovers who is doing it and finally how it is being done. In doing so, Daniel places himself and Elinor, the young daughter of the Earl of October, at considerable risk. In a final confrontation with the bad guys Daniel overcomes his adversaries but is thrown in jail accused of murder to await the return of the Earl of October.

Like most of Francis' protagonists, Daniel is youngish, handsome, honest beyond measure and quite capable at a number of things useful to someone working with horses. A sub plot to the main story is the wrongful accusation of Daniel by the older Earl's daughter of sexual abuse and his growing involvement with the younger.

To the seasoned Francis reader, this book does not have too much depth but like all Francis mysteries, a joy to read.

I found this book to be consistant with Francis's style. I enjoyed the plot, mostly because it is not quite the typical Francis book,perhaps because it is one of his earlier books. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery Daniel had to solve. I would definitely reccomend this book to both Francis fans and new readers of his work.

This book was the first Mr.Francis's book I have read in my life. I was completely involved his world, and can not stop read his books. Unfortunately, I caught up with the latest book, and can not stand waiting his next one.