The essential A-Z compendium of everything there is to know about the bicycle, this sports reference is full of amazing facts and enthralling anecdotes. A world of death-defying feats and obscure mechanical oddities, the nature of cycling is both heroic and geeky, and the perils of vicious dogs are given the same attention as the perils of drug and sex scandals. From the history of the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's fabled career to the origins of the quick-release system and Chris Hoy's dominance of the Beijing Velodrome, no element is omitted from this exploration of the bicycle and it.