The bicyclist is under attack from all directions the streets are ragged the air is poison and the drivers are angry. As if that werent enough the American cyclist must carry the weight of history along on every ride. After a brief heyday at the turn of the twentieth century American cyclists fell out of the social consciousness becoming an afterthought when our cities were planned and built. Cyclists today are left to navigate through a hard and unsympathetic world that was not made for them. Yet with the proper attitude and a bit of knowledge cyclists can thrive in this hostile environment.Covering much more than just riding a bike in traffic author Robert Hurst paints in uncanny detail the challenges strategies and art of riding a bike on Americas modern streets and roadways. The Art of Cycling dismantles the bicycling experience and slides it under the microscope piece by piece. Its primary concern is safety but this book goes well beyond the usual tips and howto diving in to the realms of history psychology sociology and economics.