The Happiness of Pursuit: A Father's Courage, a Son's Love and Life's Steepest Climb [Hardcover]

I really enjoyed this book--more than I thought I would. I had heard of Davis Phinney through an article in "Bicycling" a few years ago, and of course I'd heard of his son Taylor. I just ordered this book, not really having any expectations of it. It's really good! Davis's father, Damon, was an honest-to-god rocket scientist, and although Davis would say he missed out completely on his father's scientific mind, still--Davis clearly got some of his father's intelligence. He writes well, he's funny and engaging, and a good storyteller. Also, not only is Davis's story inspiring, having to deal with Parkinson's disease, I also found his father's story really inspiring as well. His Dad was diagnosed with cancer, and all of a sudden really seemed to come out of his shell, engage more with people and live his life to the fullest. And of course, this is the example that Davis tries to follow to this day. Taylor is sort of a footnote--he's not really in the book until the last few chapters but that's fitting--his story isn't written yet, though he is a phenomenal talent. I would definitely recommend this to cycling fans, people who suffer from PD, cancer patients, and really, anyone who enjoys a good story.

Since I started cycling seven years ago, I've read a lot of cycling books - about the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong, memoirs of famous cyclists and histories of the sport. After a while, I began to see how some of these books, especially the memoirs, began to sound alike, following a familiar formula of biographical facts/great races I have known/cycling as a metaphor for life.

Davis Phinney's "The Happiness of Pursuit" is decidedly different. Perhaps it's because his life has been decidedly different.

Phinney is one of the great cyclists. He was part of the 7-11 team that cracked the Tour de France open for American-based squads. He won stages in the Tour de France. He biked the infamous Passo Gavia stage in the 1988 Giro d'Italia - the one that included a snowstorm and cyclists getting frostbite and has passed into cycling legend.

In 2000, retired from professional cycling but with a burgeoning television commentator career, Phinney was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

In "The Happiness of Pursuit," written with Sports Illustrated senior writer Austin Murphy, Phinney weaves four connected stories into the story of a life - his professional cycling career, his relationship with his father, his battle with Parkinson's, and the cycling career of his son Taylor, who's become an accomplished cyclist and biking champion at an incredibly young age.

He tells his story with candor and insight, two qualities often lacking in other cycling memoirs. His struggles with his disease, how a distant-at-best relationship with his father grew into something important and meaningful after his father was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, Phinney's less-than-endearing personality in his early racing years - all are treated openly and honestly. He worries less about other cyclists' shortcomings and failures and more about his own, and gradually the reader comes to see that this is a man who's come to terms with himself, his life and with a crippling disease.

What also shines through is his love for his family. His wife, Connie Carpenter, won Olympic gold for cycling in 1984 and was a champion in her own right. And she is depicted here as one strong woman, who carries her family as her father-in-law and her husband both struggle with disease. Phinney also tells the story of Taylor, who starts his cycling career at 15 and starts it with fireworks (and the fireworks show is still going on).

"The Happiness of Pursuit" also differs from other memoirs in this important fact of Phinney's life: the cycling career is put into its proper perspective. It's important, yes, but Phinney comes to understand it for what it is - a career, and a successful one, but not the most important thing about his life.

The Happiness of Pursuit will engage and satisfy a wide range of readers from fans of Sports Illustrated to fans of Oprah. Phinney and Murphy strike a perfect balance between stories of the cycling world and personal stories of battling terminal cancer and Parkinson's Disease.

Davis Phinney was/is an American Pro-cycling pioneer who excelled in racing. This book narrates some of his triumphs and tragedies on the bike. As his son Taylor grows up in the book, readers live through some of his ups and downs on the bike. For cycling enthusiasts, this writing is treasurable. I think it will also appeal to general readers, too, as it provides context for the personal issues and challenges faced by the author and his family. His life changes dramatically when he discovers at about age 40 years old that he suffers from early onset Parkinson's Disease for which there is no cure.

An equally substantial topic of the book is Davis Phinney's father Damon who lived with what could have been terminal cancer for over a decade while logging over 40,000 miles on his bike. The book tells the story of how Damon was transformed by embracing life with cancer and literally came out of his shell. He is an example for his son Davis who has learned to appreciate every victory of the day -- no matter how small. This has been a motto for his foundation to help people live with Parkinson's Disease. Readers learn about the struggles that those with Parkinson's face daily and how difficult life can become for them.

The book concludes with Davis boasting of his son's accomplishments on the bike and how his pride in his son has to do with his character and perseverance as much as his awards. It is inspiring to see a father so proud of his son and his own father. This is a book about the value of family and friends as much as it is a book about cycling.

I thought this is a well-written book that will inspire and entertain readers from all backgrounds.

Cycling fans will also want to check out A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal, and Beauty in Belgium