Description
Book SynopsisAt a time when cycling in the United States rivaled baseball as thenation’s most popular professional sport, along came Reggie McNamara, a farmer’s son from Australia. In this humorous and exciting biography of the original Iron Man, Andrew M. Homan pulls McNamara back into the spotlight, depicting a flawed but beloved man whose success in unrelenting six-dayraces came at a price.
Trade Review"Popular memory overlooks the reality that six day bicycle racing and Australian born Reggie McNamara needs to be included in any top sports list. . . . Andrew Homan has done a good job bringing both to the fore with his biography of Iron Mac."—Duncan R. Jamieson,
Sport Literature AssociationIn
Iron Mac, Andrew M. Homan successfully describes the life of one of America's forgotten sporting stars, Reggie McNamara. . . . The amount of previously unpublished work and Homan's valuable endnotes make this work worth reading for any historian of bicycle racing, especially North American racing. . . . Homan’s writing style and organization are fluid; the book is a delight to read. Thanks to Homan, the legend of Iron Mac lives on gloriously."—Ari de Wilde,
Journal of Sport History“The story of Reggie ‘Iron Man’ McNamara is a fascinating one of not only the racer but of the history of six-day racing. Delving into Iron Man’s career, Andrew Homan also unravels some of the history of cycling politics. Tales of riders’ strikes, collusion, spectator hooliganism, and life bans will resonate in modern cycling. This story is the legacy of a hero of cycling.”—Phil Anderson, first Australian (and first non-European) to wear the Tour de France’s yellow jersey (1981)
“This book brings back not only the story of one of the greatest stars, but also leaves you with a sense of the atmosphere surrounding the sport and of all the characters involved.”—George Mount, first American to compete in the Giro d’Italia (1981), winner of the Red Zinger Classic (1978), and current vice president of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame
“In my years of racing professionally in the United States, cycling has been a fringe sport.
Iron Mac tells of a time when it wasn’t. This story about a hero who’s easy to cheer for is refreshing and hopeful for those of us who love cycling today.”—Phil Gaimon, professional cyclist for Cannondale-Garmin and author of
Pro Cycling on $10 a DayTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Rabbits and Slingshots
2. Bushes to the Big Leagues
3. A Promoter Goes to Hollywood
4. Accidental Romance
5. Safe in America
6. Politics of Racing
7. The War Years
8. The Prodigal Son Returns
9. Training Old School
10. Let the Roaring Twenties Begin
11. The Italians Are Coming!
12. Mac Strikes Gold
13. Rusty Iron
14. Downward Spiral
15. Grandpa Mac
Notes
Index
