Synopses & Reviews
"In a world that all too often settles for mediocrity and conformity, Rebecca knows that the secret to success is being your best in all you do. And once you establish that baseline, you push through it." --
MARK BURNETT, producer of Eco-Challenge and SurvivorREBECCA RUSCH has run the gauntlet of endurance sports over her career as a professional athlete-- climbing, adventure racing, whitewater rafting, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking--racking up accolades and world championships along the way. But while she might seem like just another pro playing out a fistful of aces, her empowering story proves that anyone can rise above self-doubt and find their true potential.
First turning heads with her climbing and paddling skills, Rusch soon found herself spearheading adventure racing teams. As she fought her way through the jungles of Borneo, raced camels across Morocco, threaded the rugged Tian Shan mountains, and river-boarded the Grand Canyon in the dead of winter, she was forced to stare down her own demons. Through it all, Rusch continually redefined her limits, pushing deep into the pain cave and emerging ready for the next great challenge.
At age 38, Rusch faced a tough decision: retire or reinvent herself yet again. Overpowering a lack of skill with her relentless drive, she shifted her focus to endurance mountain bike racing and rode straight into the record books at a moment when most athletes walk away.
Rusch to Glory is more than an epic story of adventure; it is a testament to the rewards of hard work, determination, and resilience on the long road to personal and professional triumph.
Review
- Rebecca Rusch is one of the best-known women cyclists in the world.
- Co-author Selene Yeager is a long-time contributor to top mainstream health/fitness magazines.
- With support from her key sponsors Red Bull and Specialized Bicycles, Rusch plans a multi-city book tour.
"Rusch to Glory tells the story of Rebecca Rusch, a 38-year-old whose sporting career has had more twists and turns than the singletrack upon which she currently dominates the sport of ultra-endurance mountain biking. In this autobiography written with Bicycling's Fit Chick, Selene Yeager, Rusch shares the story of her incredible career as an endurance athlete. Rock climbing, adventure racing, whitewater rafting, cross-country skiing--nothing has proven too tough for Rusch." -- Bicycling
"Dubbed the Queen of Pain by one adventure sports publication, Rusch would rather think of herself as the Queen of Perseverance. She's not the strongest, the tallest or the fastest athlete out there, but she prides herself on never giving up." -- Sports Illustrated
"In a world that too often settles for mediocrity and conformity, Rebecca knows that the secret to success is being your best in all you do. And once you establish that baseline, you push through it." -- Mark Burnett, producer of Eco-Challenge and Survivor, from the foreword to Rusch to Glory
"There is perhaps no one who defines 'jack-of-all-trades' better than Rebecca Rusch. For more than 20 years, Rusch has explored her physical ability full of determination, without relent. Her drive as an ultra-endurance athlete and one of the most successful endurance mountain bikers in the world has brought her to success in just about every kind of adventure sport imaginable. Her compelling story of disappointment, heartbreak, and resilience is recounted in her book." -- VeloNews.com
"Rusch to Glory is an easy read--just sit back and relax and follow Rusch through her various endeavors. She does all the suffering, so you don't have to. It may be the perfect book to give an aspiring young female athlete who is or will soon confront her own demons. When facing or about to face these kind of obstacles on the path to success, it's nice to know you're not alone and have a good example to follow." -- CyclingNews.com
"Reba's 50% hard core racer, 50% advocate, 50% adventure seeker, and 100% inspiration. That adds up to 250%, which is just about right for her. And if you don't already want to be just like her (I do), you will by the time you read the fun, funny, and always-down-to-earth story of her life. [Rusch to Glory] is a fantastic book, by a fantastic person." -- Fat Cyclist
"Rebecca Rusch turned to the bike to cement her position as one of the best endurance athletes in the world." -- VeloNews
"Rebecca is probably the greatest endurance mountain biker in history--male or female." -- Singletrack magazine
"Rebecca's book Rusch to Glory is as unique as she is, yet her journey toward achievement is universal and will touch anyone who has yearned to do more. Her book reminds me in many ways of one of my favorite books, Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Rusch to Glory pulls you along on an amazing, fascinating, courageous, yet very human, imperfect, and vulnerable journey." -- Patti DeNucci, author and speaker
"Rebecca Rusch is proof that will and tenacity are far more important than any other life skill a person can possess. It's not just about the athletic feats, no matter how numerous and ludicrously awesome hers are. The fact that she succeeded, time and again, at a new sport (and a new life!) is a testament to hard work, intellectual curiosity, teamwork, and the attitude of a champion. And that lives in all of us." -- Robyn Benincasa, World Champion Adventure Racer, CNN Hero, Guinness World Record Holder, Founder/Minister of Dreams, Project Athena Foundation
"Rebecca Rusch [was] not just one of the top female racers out there, she [was] flat-out one of the best all-around [adventure] racers of either sex." -- Jacques Boutet, professional adventure racer
Synopsis
Rusch to Glory shows how one woman went from ordinary to extraordinary--and how anyone can discover their own greatness.
Synopsis
Rebecca Rusch is one of the great endurance athletes of our time. Known today as the Queen of Pain for her perseverance as a relentlessly fast runner, paddler, and mountain bike racer, Rusch was a normal kid from Chicago who abandoned a predictable life for one of adventure. In her new book Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled, Rusch weaves her fascinating life's story among the exotic locales and extreme conditions that forged an extraordinary athlete from ordinary roots.
Rusch has run the gauntlet of endurance sports over her career as a professional athlete-- climbing, adventure racing, whitewater rafting, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking--racking up world championships along the way. But while she might seem like just another superhuman playing out a fistful of aces, her empowering story proves that anyone can rise above self-doubt and find their true potential.
First turning heads with her rock climbing and paddling skills, Rusch soon found herself spearheading adventure racing teams like Mark Burnett's Eco-Challenge series. As she fought her way through the jungles of Borneo, raced camels across Morocco, threaded the rugged Tian Shan mountains, and river-boarded the Grand Canyon in the dead of winter, she was forced to stare down her own demons. Through it all, Rusch continually redefined her limits, pushing deep into the pain cave and emerging ready for the next great challenge.
At age 38, Rusch faced a tough decision: retire or reinvent herself yet again. Determined to go for broke, she shifted her focus to endurance mountain bike racing and rode straight into the record books at a moment when most athletes walk away. Rusch to Glory is more than an epic story of adventure; it is a testament to the rewards of hard work, determination, and resilience on the long road to personal and professional triumph.
Synopsis
"You name it, Rebecca Rusch has tried it―get inspired by her adventures mountain biking, white-water rafting and climbing in exotic locations around the world." ― Triathlete magazine
Known as the Queen of Pain, Rebecca Rusch is one of the great endurance athletes of our time.
The relentlessly fast runner, paddler, and mountain bike racer, Rusch was a normal kid from Chicago who abandoned a predictable life for one of adventure. In her book Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled, Rusch weaves her fascinating life's story among the exotic locales and extreme conditions that forged an extraordinary athlete from ordinary roots.
Rusch has run the gauntlet of endurance sports over her career as a professional athlete-- climbing, adventure racing, whitewater rafting, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking--racking up world championships along the way. But while she might seem like just another superhuman playing out a fistful of aces, her empowering story proves that anyone can rise above self-doubt and find their true potential.
First turning heads with her rock climbing and paddling skills, Rusch soon found herself spearheading adventure racing teams like Mark Burnett's Eco-Challenge series. As she fought her way through the jungles of Borneo, raced camels across Morocco, threaded the rugged Tian Shan mountains, and river-boarded the Grand Canyon in the dead of winter, she was forced to stare down her own demons. Through it all, Rusch continually redefined her limits, pushing deep into the pain cave and emerging ready for the next great challenge.
At age 38, Rusch faced a tough decision: retire or reinvent herself yet again. Determined to go for broke, she shifted her focus to endurance mountain bike racing and rode straight into the record books at a moment when most athletes walk away. Rusch to Glory is more than an epic story of adventure; it is a testament to the rewards of hard work, determination, and resilience on the long road to personal and professional triumph.
Synopsis
Rebecca Rusch is one of the great endurance athletes of her generation, relentlessly fast on her feet, on the water, or racing a bike. She began her journey with an unceremonious start--by joining the high school track team to score a free tracksuit. This scrawny Chicago kid soon abandoned her predictable life, heading from home to wander the world and find adventure. Trekking through Borneo, mountain climbing in Patagonia, navigating the rivers of Vietnam, racing bikes across the Andes--Rusch's voyages saw her discover the adrenalin sport of adventure racing, stare down her doubts and fears, witness the tragic death of a friend, and rise toward a glass ceiling in sports.
Rusch to Glory is set in the exotic locales and extreme conditions that forged an extraordinary athlete from ordinary roots. Known today as the Queen of Pain for her incredible perseverance against all odds, Rebecca Rusch tells her story of transformation to inspire anyone to discover their own greatness.
About the Author
Rebecca Rusch won her fourth straight Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race in August of 2012. In addition to three 24-hour solo mountain bike World Champion rainbow jerseys, Rusch is the 2010 World Champion for Master's XC mountain biking, the 2011 National XC single-speed champion, and a three-time national champion in 24-hour team mountain biking. She set a new female course record for the 142-mile Kokopelli Trail in 2013. Rusch won Idaho's Short Track state championship (twice), and a Cyclocross state title. An accomplished Nordic skier, she's won the Masters Cross Country Skiing World Championship, in addition to taking the top prize at Raid Gauloises Adventure Racing World Championships. Rebecca also organizes a series of female ride initiatives called the SRAM Gold Rusch Tour, an event that combines race and training clinics at major bike events, female media camps and an all girls MTB camp in her hometown of Ketchum, Idaho.Selene Yeager is a top-selling author and professional health and fitness writer who lives what she writes as a certified personal trainer, professional mountain bike racer, and triathlete. She has authored, co-authored, and contributed to more than two dozen books. She is a frequent contributor to Runner's World, Women's Health, and Shape magazines and dishes out training advice monthly as Bicycling magazine's "FitChick." She lives in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.Mark Burnett is a reality television producer best known for his work on Survivor, The Apprentice, The Voice, Shark Tank, and The Sing Off.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Mark Burnett
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Wild Ride
1 Finding Myself at the Finish Line
2 Running Away From Home
3 Facing My Fears
4 Vehicle For Change
5 Learning Management Skills in Morocco
6 If at First You Don't Succeed...
7 Exploring My Limits
8 Proving Grounds
9 A Heavy Crown
10 A New Beginning
11 A Big Year
12 Gaining Momentum
13 Riding for the Record Books
14 Winning and Losing
15 Keeping It Real
Epilogue: The Outer Limits
Results
Credits
About the Authors