The Belgian Hammer

This is the story of what it takes for young Americans to make it in professional cycling. Only thirty-six Americans have competed in the Tour de France since the world’s greatest bicycle race began in 1903. That’s not too many more than the twelve Americans who have walked on the moon. It’s far fewer than the hundreds of Americans who have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

      But rising stars such as Lawson Craddock of Texas, Benjamin King of 

Virginia, Taylor Phinney of Colorado, Daniel Holloway of California, and Tyler Farrar of Washington state are doing just that as they endure crashes, cold rain, cobblestones, crosswinds, and culture shock on their road to cycling 

stardom, which starts in Belgium.

     This is the story of the next generation—of riders not yet tainted by drug scandals, of riders still bursting with hope and potential. This is the story American cycling fans need right now.


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PRAISE FOR THE BELGIAN HAMMER


“People, get ready for great stories written well. The Belgian Hammer captures cycling culture.” 

—Benjamin King, 2010 U.S. Pro Road Racing Champion


“The Belgian Hammer is the unique story of professional cycling that hasn’t yet been told until now. Daniel Lee has revealed the road map for the next generation of Americans hoping to become successful in Europe, where cycling is king.” 

—Jim Ochowicz, President/General Manager of the BMC Racing Team.


“All of us who left our tire prints on the European circuits remember how 

racing there shaped us forever. With passion, Daniel Lee gives substance and perspective to the experience of young Americans trying to make it in 

Europe; and bicycle racing is illuminated by his craft.”

—John Howard, three-time Olympic cyclist, who set a bicycle speed record of 152.2 mph in 1985


“For those who admire images of cyclists flashing with arms spread wide in triumph over the finish line on blue-sky days, Daniel Lee gives us an insightful, forceful, and gritty account of the rigorous―and frequently perilous―route that cyclists take to force their way up the ranks and develop skills to win. A former racer himself, Dan Lee puts his passion for the sport into his newspaper reporter experience and writing talent. In The Belgian Hammer he follows Taylor Phinney, Benjamin King, Daniel Holloway, and other legends in the making on the USA Cycling national team living in Belgium, where the young bloods from around the world go to test themselves against the best of their generation. They compete in tight packs exceeding 150 riders pumping over narrow wind-blown roads slick from rain while threading through the countryside at unrelenting speed. To spectators cycling matches the grace of ballet. Daniel Lee reveals its uncompromising demands and brutality and heroics.”

     ―Peter Joffre Nye, author of The Six-Day Bicycle Races: America’s Jazz Age Sport and a Trustee of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame