"Mr. Nye's history-rich writing has the fluid pace of a peloton coursing through the French countryside. Old stories remain as captivating today as they were decades ago. Most important, he shows how the bicycle has remained a constant despite the arrival of new protagonists and technologies."—Michael Barry, Wall Street Journal
"The indispensable book on American bicycle racing history."—Leslie Reissner, PEZ Cycling News
"Hearts of Lions: The History of American Bicycle Racing is one of those books that not only gives you the colorful story of our sport in the U.S. but also serves to offer you a reference guide to so many aspects of U.S. bike racing."—Diane Jenks, Outspoken Cyclist Podcast
“If there is any one book fans of cycling and American sports should read, it’s Peter Nye’s second edition of Hearts of Lions. Updated to cover the male and female cyclists who stormed the roads of Europe in the era after Greg LeMond won three editions of the Tour de France, Nye’s latest edition of the definitive history of American cycling is a must-read.”—Mark Johnson, author of Spitting in the Soup: Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sport
“Hearts of Lions is the most important book on American cycling history, essential reading for everybody who wants to understand the USA’s long and important role in a global sport.”—Feargal McKay, Podium Café
“The definitive history of bicycle racing in the United States. It’s also a terrific read, and you’ll marvel at the full reach of the cycling sport in your great-grandparents’ era. Learn about Major Taylor, the first African American to claim a major championship in any sport, and Frank Kramer, a man of such athletic renown that he earned more than Ty Cobb.”—Daniel de Visé, author of The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France
“Hearts of Lions tells the poignant and inspiring stories of the men and women who made American bike racing history. Impressively researched and alive with the voices of its many protagonists, it will sweep you up in their compelling stories.”—Isabel Best, author of Queens of Pain: Legends & Rebels of Cycling
“Like a slow-motion replay of a Tour de France sprint that went by in a blur, Hearts of Lions brings into focus the colorful characters of a complicated sport in a country that doesn’t always recognize the grit behind the glory.”—Lynne Tolman, president of the Major Taylor Association
“Peter Nye’s chronicle of the great lost history of early American bicycle racing, its near death and final resurgence, is as captivating, as full of unexpected swerves, heartbreaks and triumphs, as the sport the author so clearly loves.”—Reed Karaim, author of The Winter in Anna
“Nye crafts meticulous research into a narrative of the forces and characters who ushered cycling from indoor tracks in the late nineteenth century onto today’s international stage—a trajectory shaped by small-town heroes and presidents alike. A thorough and absorbing read.”—Carrie Hagen, author of We Is Got Him: The Kidnapping that Changed America
