Book Review: Come & Gone

In his latest book “Come & Gone” Joe Parkin (author of Dog In A Hat) tells the tale of a blue-collar bike racer in America.

This book picks up where his last left off, Parkin is back in America after failing to do much in Europe. He tries his hand at American racing but fails to really break through. He eventually moves to mountain bike racing, and well… I wont ruin the ending for you. Parkin has a unique diary like style. He tells events in a “this happened, then this, then this” style, that could easily become boring, but doesn’t.

Its almost like you are a rider inside his head, and he is going to share all sorts of intimate details with you about his racing. You feel his legs getting tired, and you feel his elation at the victories, and his frustration with each loss. And lose he does, a lot. It is kind of hard to read as over and over (and over) again he tries so hard to win races and over and over again he looses. In a way this book teaches you that only one person can win a race, and most of the time, that person isn’t you. But again if you love your sport, and you are trying your hardest you don’t always need massive success to be happy.

Come & Gone is an insightful and enjoyable window into the world of early 90’s American cycling. Plus the pictures of people in mullets in the middle of the book are priceless! This book was fairly enjoyable, and does offer a true perspective into what it is like for the non-super stars of cycling. Give it a try, you wont be sorry.

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