PEZ Bookshelf: The Dysfunctional Cycling Club

For North Americans getting into road cycling in the decades past it was quickly apparent that this was one very much niche subculture.  The sport was so Euro-focused there were only breadcrumbs of information to be found across the Atlantic. In 1974 I did a European bike tour with a friend, riding from London to Munich.  This was the same year that the Tour came to England for the first time and we had no idea what was going on even being in the country where it was happening. That Merckx fellow won for the fifth time and we weren’t so sure about him either.

Cycling was pretty local for us but things did improve.  Magazines began to appear about our favourite pastime–“Bicycling” took its present form in 1968 and was joined by “Velonews” in 1972 and “Winning–Bicycle Racing Illustrated” in 1983.  Early on, there appeared in “Winning” a regular back page column entitled “Tales from the Bike Shop,” authored by Maynard Hershon.  His folksy stories about cycling, racing, the people he met, and life’s big and little moments, resonated with us.  He was visible in the ’80s and ’90s as a near-cult figure in the cycling community in North America.  Two books of his collected stories, “Tales from the Bike Shop,” and “Half-Wheel Hell” came out in 1989 and 1996 respectively.

As an aside, “Winning–Bicycle Racing Illustrated” ceased publication in 1998. “Velonews” disappeared in 2023, part of Outside Inc.’s purchase and euthanasian of US cycling publications also including “Cycling Tips” and “Peloton.”  Of course, this is a trend in the magazine world overall.

Now, after three decades, Maynard is back with another collection of stories.  “The Dysfunctional Cycling Club,” with some tales old and some new, came about after his friend Earle Young persuaded him to assemble a new book, taking advantage of modern technology.  The result is what one sees as Classic Maynard: short stories thoughtfully written and with the human touch.

The book opens with several chapters about cycling etiquette.  With the popularity of cycling growing rapidly he offers suggestions on the value (or not) of group rides, overtaking other cyclists, managing a paceline and helping new riders to get more out of their cycling.  As someone who was riding when it was unusual to see another cyclist, I understand his dismay that now riders are not likely to acknowledge others with a “hi!” or a wave or nod.  There is perhaps too much seriousness around cycling now–expensive carbon bikes, elaborate training plans, electronics–and Maynard clearly is the kind of person who rides for fun, an estimable goal.

In the stories you will learn of his attempts at racing, what it was like on “Easy Day” when riding at the Team 7-Eleven training camp, and his experiences piloting a press or neutral support motorcycle during now barely-recalled races like the brutally hard HP Women’s Challenge race in Idaho or (yes) the Tour de Trump (1989-1991).

Maynard’s fondness for two wheels extends beyond bicycles and along with the stories about human power, he also writes about his life with motorcycles.  At the same time he began writing for Winning he also began a long relationship writing for a British motorcycling magazine.  His experience with motorcycles causes him to reflect on the vagaries of British machines: “No need to drain old oil to make room for new.  There was always room.”

His enthusiasm for machinery with personality extends to ownership of an Italian Moto Guzzi and this is his segue into some stories about going to the Isle of Man to watch the remarkably dangerous Tourist Trophy races.  These races, begun in 1907, cover a 37 mile course with 219 corners on regular two-lane roads and are a “must-see” event for motorsports fans.  Maynard and wife had the chance to travel the course on a borrowed Moto Guzzi and it makes good reading.

A series of stories concern his rebuilding of a classic 1984 Gios Torino bicycle, made up from period parts from hither-and-yon.  He then realizes that it would be ideal for attending a vintage cycling event.  In 2014 he and his wife made the long trip from Denver to Munich to Pisa to Florence to participate in l’Eroica that year.

As a person who seems to make the best of what he can and to be a genuine enthusiast, Maynard’s account of his l’Eroica experience is a bit of a downer.  For those of us who have gone to Chianti for this event it has been a highlight of our cycling lives.  While much that is written about it is glowing in terms of the organization, the landscape, and the ambiance, riding the white gravel roads is, even in the shorter variants, pretty demanding.  Part of the feeling of accomplishment is overcoming the struggle, hence the name “Heroic.” After his experience he considered doing the California version of l’Eroica but there is nothing further on this.  Ride that Gios, man!

“The Dysfunctional Cycling Club” is an entertaining read.  Maynard Hershon is open to new experiences but also writes in a reflective style.  He is happy to meet strangers and hear their stories, adding to his own treasury of well-told tales.  Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 30 years for the next book!

“The Dysfunctional Cycling Club and Other Stories”

by Maynard Hershon, edited by Earle Young

147 pages, softbound, 2025

ISBN 237-0-023-66721-3

The book may be ordered directly from Earle Young at earle.young@tds.net or Venmo at @earle-young-3 with last 4 digits of phone number 0348.  The book is US$20, with $6 shipping in the US ($12 by priority mail).  For foreign orders, Earle will work with buyers.

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