‘Who the hell is Gary Fisher?’
I just read “Wallhangers,” the U.P.-based winning story in the Dirt Rag Literature Contest, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
This is not your typical good-versus-evil, bicyclist triumphs tale. In fact, some of the details of the main character’s background and behavior are somewhat unsettling. But this story by Jim Crissman of Midland, Michigan, is a fine piece of writing about an unvarnished U.P. life.
After reading “Wallhangers,” you may never look the same way at that bearded, older guy you always see pedaling around town. He’s got a colorful backstory, too, no doubt.
And if you haven’t yet read an issue of the always satisfying Dirt Rag – “the mountain bike forum” – this is a fine entry point.
– Joel Patenaude