STANDING CYCLIST:
Flirting with Wisdom, One Breath, One Mile at a Time
Standing Cyclist is the quirky, true story of a self-absorbed misfit athlete who discovers the brutal yet liberating truth of middle age through great personal loss, the restricting challenge of Asthma, and a unique style of cycling called Rolling.
Hello,
I didn't set out to write this book for any one reason in particular. In hindsight, I suppose I just needed to get it out. Once complete, I could see it might be of value to others. Those who seek something more but are not quite sure exactly what that "more" is. Perhaps it will provide a glimpse of what's possible when you step outside of yourself (and look around). Or maybe you'll ride along and simply enjoy the remarkable people and colorful places.
I believe there is something here for anyone who has ever flirted with wisdom, through athletics, illness or loss. I hope that my unusual style of riding, stubborn perseverance, and (humble) insight may inspire others to never give up, while waking up.
Peace Always, FAC
What Readers Are Saying
“Brilliant Writing and Wonderful Adventures - Great Book! The writing is elegant and wonderfully descriptive; a style you don’t see in modern writing very often any more. The author tells his story about his cycling adventures from the trail ride on a recumbent mountain bike, to drinking Guinness in a different pub every evening in Ireland, to an impossible-sounding ride through the roads of Iceland, and then to the point of the book. After returning home from Iceland, Cavaluzzi’s next adventure was a ride around Lake Champlain, a 360-mile trip starting and ending in Burlington, Vermont, to raise awareness for the Stand Up to Cancer cause. The final adventure in this book was the Meso Challenge, working to get asbestos banned in the United States. Cavaluzzi built a bike for each of the trips, and after the trip on the recumbent mountain bike, all of the bikes were fixed gear bikes with the seats removed. I have to say, removing the seat doesn’t sound too difficult, really, but riding like this on a fixed gear bike sounds like murder. I don’t understand that. The fixed gear didn’t allow Cavaluzzi to coast at all while riding, which meant his 50+ miles per day were the equivalent (in my opinion) of running an ultramarathon every day. That’s just unnecessary punishment. I mean, he could have raised awareness for his causes standing up on a bike with gears and enjoyed it a lot more. I’m just saying...I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I have the strongest admiration for Frank Angelo Cavaluzzi for the strength he had to accomplish the rides and for his writing skill. He has done a brilliant job describing the adventures.”
“It really isn’t about the bike. Found many lessons for me. I am an aging (73) cyclist with major back problems. Also on my own spiritual journey. I highlighted a number of gems that spoke to me. Will likely go back and reread the highlights.”
“I highly recommend this book for all. The author very skillfully discusses how he overcame adversity and grew as a person at the same time. I highly recommend this book for all, especially newly diagnosed Cancer and Asthma patients. Look forward to your next book Mr. Cavaluzzi.”
“Completely motivating and inspirational…Great read with a purpose! Each trip contains its own uniqueness, not just through the geography and the incredible physical endurance, but especially the challenging situations and interesting locals he encounters. Unforeseen events throughout each trip often serve as the stimulus for reflecting and self-exploring. Illustrating the true importance of the mind, body, spirit connection. Standing Cyclist, is written in such a way that you feel like you are ‘rolling’ along side him, and grow more curious with each mile traveled. Cheering him on through each challenge, watching the self development organically unfold. Over coming such life and health difficulties, with such perseverance and determination, (and some humor) provides motivation and inspiration, to everyone. Every person can enjoy this moving life adventure and along the way learn something about themselves, or who they would like to become!”
“Inspiring true life events. I’m not a cyclist but I like reading biographies. This book was very well written and I felt like I was a friend of Frank’s. It’s not your average boring biography.”
“Great book for any cyclist, and even better for the growing spiritualist. This book has a lot to offer for anyone who enjoys cycling, the outdoors, and adventure. And even more to offer to the growing spiritualist. There are many lessons of mindfulness throughout. But they are presented from a very relatable perspective. I could relate to a lot of the authors inner dialog. The journeys he takes you on keep you engaged, and the honesty of his inner voice, the relatable doubts and fears, and the growth you experience with him make this a good book for the mind, the heart and the soul. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 5 stars!”
“Wow, what an enjoyable read! This is not the type of book I normally pick up - it’s nonfiction, an autobiographical tale about Frank’s journey through life as he struggles with allergic asthma, trains his body and mind to persevere, cycles all over the world, raises money for cancer, and more. To my delight, I ended up absolutely loving it. It reads like a conversation. The stories are inspiring, enlightening, funny, and actually just amazing. They’ll make you reevaluate yourself and the life you are currently leading, but in the most hopeful way. “It’s up to me to determine what I can and cannot do,” Frank writes (which I had to highlight lol). I have immense respect for people like him, who are remarkably strong and accomplish so much in their lives, yet are so humble at the same time. If you are at all interested in this book, I highly recommend it.”
“Honest and Inspirational. I enjoyed this book very much. I am a not a cyclist, nor do I suffer from asthma, but what I most appreciated about the book was insight to the author’s struggles and triumphs with both.
This is a great story about an avid cyclist, whose lifelong love of the sport was halted by an asthma diagnosis. The author, once he’d decided to not let this stop him, takes us through his variety of adventures both local and abroad on his bike, which not only teaches him to become a better cyclist through the physical and equipment modifications that were ultimately needed, but also a better person, raising his spiritual connection to himself through breath and meditation. Though at first glance, it seems like a book about cycling, it truly a culmination of his journey inward, reaching a new level to help and inspire others to do the same.
Anyone who suffers from a chronic medical condition that keeps them from setting and accomplishing their goals would surely enjoy this honest story about merging the struggles and the achievements to come out the other side a better person. The theme of ‘one breath at a time’ is the beautiful connection of the journey, both spiritual and literal, both on the bike and in life.”
“While reading this book I couldn’t help but think about the solitary yet social nature of the author. It’s seems he’s quite a mix of opposites. I found it to be extremely intriguing how driven yet non competitive he is. Again, opposite notions. One might think this book is pretty straight forward but I found it begin to ask me questions about myself. There are many lessons to be learned in this story. I suppose the author is like an onion with many layers to be discovered. I’m sure to read it more than once, it’s the type of story that should be revisited from time to time. Give yourself some time before you open it up because you will have a hard time putting it down.”
“Inspirational...it’s the classic story of the human condition.
The human will triumphing against adversity.
And tangentially about bicycles.”
AVAILABLE now in kindle and paperback ON AMAZON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Frank Angelo Cavaluzzi has been training and touring atop a bicycle, standing up seat-less, in the U.S.A. and abroad for fun, fitness and to direct attention toward special causes, since 2005. To the best of our knowledge, he remains the only athlete in the world who rides a single-speed fixed-gear bicycle standing up for long distances. Rolling, as we've come to call it, is best described as a compelling combination of cycling, running and hiking.
Today, Frank continues to train and tour for charity in his typical Standing Cyclist fashion. When he’s not leading complex marketing and engineering programs and projects for innovative businesses, and maintaining TeamStandingCyclist.com, Frank proudly serves as a CharityMiles.org Ambassador.
Most recently, he rode 369 miles across New York State (#StandingNY) to promote Charity Miles and their groundbreaking, highly rated athletic fundraising App. No coasting, no sitting. For 10 days he recruited new App users and logged miles for Feeding America, an important non-profit organization which helps feed millions of starving people in the U.S. every year.
Be sure to click through Standing Cyclist for a more detailed history.
For questions related to the book, appearances, upcoming bike tours for charity, etc.
Top, Banner Image / Book Cover Photo by Laura Wanderling