Editor Note: Gianna Bellofatto is a freelance writer who frequently contributes her refreshing "Life Is a Bike" column to The Bicycle Exchange. 

' "I'm religious about my cycling," I say in an attempt to be funny, and suddenly I realize that it's true.'

This is a definitive moment in the story of Cycling, the newest novel by Greg Garrett. The main character, Brad Cannon, is not just your average bike cuckoo (though you cuckoos will be able to relate). For example, his eager anticipation for sunrise to get that first morning ride; and later, the fast and furious ride before sunset; and what is known as weather for mad dogs and Englishmen, Brad Cannon rides when it's 105 degrees. But Brad is also a sensitive young man who finds peace and solace on his bicycle while working out various situations of his life. Situations read women.

Greg Garrett draws the reader into the world of the hero and his cycling from page one and keeps a steady cadence thereafter. Garrett's artistic prose creates images and a sense of place that make you feel as if you could touch it on the page.

The novel meanders like a great ride and reads like a great story. The hero, Brad Cannon, has suffered tragic losses that few of us could imagine. Yet he perseveres throughout his youth, and ultimately becomes a wunderkind writer whose publishers are barking for his promised manuscript. Instead, Brad opts to tool around on his bike and fool around with women. He's a twice divorced man of 30 who hasn't dotted an "i" and isn't going to anytime soon. Not for his publishers or for any of the women he's involved with. That is, until Madelyn. Still, the relationship isn't smooth coasting and Brad could easily take off on his bike once again…

Cycling is a joy to read! You’ll love the path that Greg Garrett has carved out with his words. The novel is a trip of a lifetime.

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