The Reading Warehouse

American cycling has a long tradition of riding and racing on a shoestring and a prayer. Jamie Smith explores the domestic side of the world's biggest amateur sport in American Pro: The True Story of Bike Racing in America.

American Pro rips away the thin veneer of professionalism among domestic racing teams to lay bare the heart and soul of a struggling sport. Smith traces the arc of one team's racing career to discover colorful personalities, scrappy racing action, humor and heartbreak. American Pro shows what the sport demands: the scramble for contracts, the dynamics of team chemistry, the unending travel, the Herculean struggle to realize the dream--all for the love of bike racing.

With sharp humor and insight, Smith uncovers what's wrong--and what's right--with America's broken bike racing system. American Pro will transform how you think of domestic pro racing through a five-season expos of the sport we love.

Jamie Smith is a veteran bike racer, bike race announcer, and author of Roadie, Reading the Race, and American Pro. He has been a bike racer since 1983, working his way up through the ranks of amateur cycling, and a bike race announcer since 1985 traveling with some of the world's greatest cyclists.

He spent several years in public relations, receiving one Emmy nomination and several Telly Awards. He currently lives in Rochester, Michigan, with his 11 bikes, 2 surfboards, 1 rowing scull, and 5 pair of cross-country skis.