8/08/2007

BATHING BEAUTY


Coming soon to a bookstore near you, sez the old man:

"Flat Out! The Rollie Free Story" will be published late this year. The 9 x 12 book will have 192 pages and 244 pictures, and will come with a 40-minute audio CD. The CD includes 34 minutes of the Rollie Free interview. Also recorded are the runup of the Ed Kretz Sr. Indian Sport Scout racer tuned by Free and the runup of the fabled "Bathing Suit Bike". Ed Kretz and Herb Harris provide commentary on the two historic motorcycles associated with Rollie Free."

If this is all Greek to you, the guy in the picture is the motorcycling legend Rollie Free, one of the all-time colorful characters and the fellow in the iconic photograph above. My Dad's book is a labor of love which has been held up for years due to questions about the rights to various items that he wanted to put in the book. Happily, things have been resolved and Dad's finally going to get it published. When I have a cover art graphic, I'll promote the thing again.

I can tell you it is a good read, even if you aren't that much of a cycling buff. My Dad interviewed the late Mr. Free more than 20 years ago, and I can assure you that he was a colorful, memorable character. The book is really very similar in tone to Lawrence Ritter's The Glory of Their Times, only it's about an old racer instead of old ballplayers.

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