Synopses & Reviews
Like a modern-day Don Quixote, Joe Kurmaskie—bike adventurer, writer, and twelve-year-old boy trapped in a mans body—wanders the world on two wheels, often with hilarious results, in
Riding Outside the Lines.
A jaunt through such far-flung locations as Ireland, Australia, Mexico, South America, and beyond, here is a collection of tales woven together with one central theme: the world is a much smaller place when you view it from the seat of a bicycle.
Whether hes weekending in the buff after accidentally stumbling into a nudist colony wedding, knocking back red wine in tin cans with a gun-toting ex-bounty hunter, combing the countryside in a quest to find the all-girl bagpipe squad he met in his dreams, or playing a rousing game of ice golf on the frozen tundra, Joe Kurmaskie writes of his gonzo global trek in a spirit infused with insight, good humor, and optimism. Riding Outside the Lines encourages travel buffs and armchair explorers alike to get on your bike and see the beauty of our planet and the colorful souls who populate it.
About the Author
JOE KURMASKIE is the author of Metal Cowboy and has written for
Details, the
Arizona Star,
Oregon Cycling, and
Midwest Bike. He is a regular contributor to Bicycling, where his “Ask the Metal Cowboy” column appears. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and two sons. Visit Joe at www.metalcowboy.com.
Table of Contents
On yere bike -- The all-girls bagpipe squad -- Mr. Ice Cream Man -- The cantaloupes of wrath -- Dumpster diving with Sammy D. -- Always look to the left of your right-hand man -- Sign language -- Riding with the boss -- You make your own luck -- Three (unlikely) amigos -- Almost naked lunch -- We'll find your balls come springtime -- Fast food in the world's slow lanes -- Follow the bouncing ball -- Getting into cold water -- The smallest car in Ireland -- Lunatic fringe : making the case for cycling's patron saints -- Confessions of a kilt-wearing cowboy -- The economy of movement (how I found and lost the glide).