The Happiness of Pursuit: A Father's Courage, a Son's Love, and Life's Steepest Climb

Davis Phinney · Austin Murphy

may 2011 · HarperCollins

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For two decades, Davis Phinney was one of America’s most successful cyclists. He won two stages at the Tour de France and an Olympic medal. But after years of feeling off, he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s. The body that had been his ally was now something else: a prison. 

The Happiness of Pursuit is the story of how Davis sought to overcome his Parkinson’s by reaching back to what had made him so successful on the bike and adjusting his perspective on what counted as a win. The news of his diagnosis began a dark period for this vibrant athlete, but there was also light. His son Taylor’s own bike-racing career was taking off. Determined to beat the Body Snatcher, Davis underwent a procedure called deep brain stimulation. Although not cured, his symptoms abated enough for him to see Taylor compete in the Beijing Olympics. Davis Phinney had won another stage. But the joy, he discovered, was in the pursuit. 

With humor and grace, Phinney weaves the narrative of his battle with Parkinson’s with tales from his cycling career and from his son’s emerging career. The Happiness of Pursuit is a remarkable story of fathers and sons and bikes, of victories large and small.

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David Phinney is a former professional cyclist, a TV commentator, and one of three Americans to win multiple stages of the Tour de France. In 2000, he was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's Disease. Today he and his wife, Connie Carpenter Phinney, an Olympic gold medalist, run the Davis Phinney Foundation. Austin Murphy is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated.