The Art of Cycling

Philosophy, Meaning, and a Life on Two Wheels

James Hibbard

A meditative love letter to the sport of cycling, revealing how cycling can shed new light on age-old questions of selfhood, meaning, and purpose.

Interweaving cycling, philosophy, and personal narrative, The Art of Cycling provides readers with a deep understanding of the highs and lows of being an elite athlete, the limits of approaching any sporting pursuit from a strictly rational perspective, and how the philosophical and often counterintuitive lessons derived from sport can be applied to other areas of life.

Accessible to everyone from the hardened racer to the casual fan, this updated American edition of The Art of Cycling engages the history of thought through the lens of cycling to undermine much of what is typically thought of as "intellectual," breathing new vitality into life, and countering society's obsession with progress and drive towards the abstract, detached, and virtual.

James Hamilton Hibbard's writing has appeared in journals including Ploughshares, Aporia, Otherwise, Noetic, and Aethlon. He studied philosophy at the University of California at Santa Cruz and Depaul University, and has received grants and been selected for residencies by PEN America and Tin House. A former UCI professional road cyclist and member of the U.S Cycling Team, James has written extensively on the sport of cycling. He lives in the foothills of California's Santa Clara Valley with his wife and young son.

Visit him at www.jameshamiltonhibbard.com.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“In The Art of Cycling, James Hibbard dissects how a bike ride can affect our thoughts and emotions, how it parallels the trials and joys we face in life, and why someone might pursue a career in bike racing.” The Wall Street Journal

'Cycling is an extended form of thinking and The Art of Cycling is a dazzling trip on both counts. Taking a racing line between Descartes and Nietzsche, Moser and Merckx, James Hibbard dismantles what it means to be a cyclist and puts it together again in thought-provoking ways - and, like a Zen master or cyclist in the mountains, achieves moments of transcendence'
Max Leonard, author of 

"An exceptional read." Paul Kimmage, author of 

"When you 'draft' in cycling, you tuck yourself behind a lead rider and let him or her take the wind and pull you along. This is what one gets to do in reading Hibbard's The Art of Cycling - draft off a strong writer and thinker through a meditation on a very basic, but incredibly beautiful, method of going from here to there at high speed. Drafting can be dangerous if the lead rider is unsteady, but Hibbard proves a reliable guide. The Art of Cycling is worth the ride.' John Kaag, author of