Rating: 
Summary: Funny look at one man's real pain
Review: So one day a man decides to pick up cycling after a long hiatus, and discovers that if he wants to be a good cyclist, he has to give up drinking, smoking and overeating. But realizing this and doing this are two very different things. Heft on Wheels is a wonderful trip through one man's personal hell and back (that IS a picture of the author on the front cover). Ironically, Magnuson tells his tale in such an amusing, page-turning way, that it's almost as if you were hearing this very story sitting across from him at a bar. (Though, he'd have a diet soda in his hand instead of alcohol.) Inspiring, but not a diet book; funny, but with an intellectual appeal; amusing, but not trite, this book will really touch any athletes who have struggled with their vices.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book!
Review: This is really a great book. A page turner and a hard to put downer. Now I'm a cyclist, I'm from Illinois (although now I live in Tucson), am in my 40's and my father taught at the same University as the writer. So I feel alot of affinity for the writer and his story. But I'm also a big reader, have been my whole life, and I love this book. I need to send copies to friends and thats not something I do often. Buy this book!!!
Rating:
Summary: Hope & The Human Condition Meet Chip & Seal -- ALLEZ!
Review: When someone writes about themselves, it can grow tiring by about page 3. Not so here. His flat-footed, everyman, bullet-to-the-brain writing style is fun to read...more of a monologue than writing. The irony seems to be that Magnuson goes deep within himself to conquer a goal (be someone greater than his past) only to find how important being yoked with others is.Magnuson strikes you as the guy you yourself strive to never actualize but realize day-by-day it's a destination you have no choice but to reach...just an average guy with the periodic spark of greatness. He puts in prints the thoughts you've had a dozen times, but never let the neighbors hear. To quote another cyclist, It's Not About The Bike...it's about the guy...strapped to a bike, in this case. Unlike Lance, Magnuson is every one of us, cyclist or not. The credibility in his cycling anecdotes will make it more enjoyable for cyclists...but anyone with self-doubt, desire, pain of failure and hope will find it a great ride.
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