Preface

The Renegade started as a series of memoirs I wrote for the Ride Cycling Review between 2015 and 2017.

Late in 2017, after 20 years in print, the magazine closed down. By this time, I wrote about 60,000 words for the magazine.

The readers loved the story. People wrote to me saying how they have never read anything like it. Many have asked if I’m going to release a book.

When the magazine closed, the story was half way in, I didn’t finish it. I had the readers who wanted to see the end and 60,000 words of unfinished manuscript. It’s a no-brainer, right? Finish it.

I sat down to polish up what I wrote. Writers call this process editing. It’s a rabbit hole. Good writers say you never edit anything before you reach the end. I didn’t listen.

Editing made me think if I want to write a book, I have to write a book. What I wrote for Ride Cycling Review was fine for a magazine. A book, this is different. It’s like brewing beer. You have your basic ingredients, the story, you sit on it and wait, it has to brew and when it’s ready, you pour it on a page.

The Renegade has brewed. This website is where I’ll pour it chapter after chapter. Old words mixed with the new.

Enjoy.

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