STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — It was being a professional cyclist that spurred Steamboat Springs’ Amy Charity to write a book, and the product of that effort, “The Wrong Side of Comfortable,” is filled with anecdotes from her stint on the professional cycling circuit.

Still, she said, it’s not a book about being a professional cyclist, and it’s not even a book about becoming a professional cyclist.

It’s a book about discovering what you do want to become, then making that happen.

“It’s about discovering your passion, figuring out what you’re good at and what you love and when those things collide,” she said. “There are biking stories throughout the book, but I weave in different lessons and different themes that will apply to a much boarder audience than cyclists.”

Charity came to cycling comparatively late in life, competing in her first race at 34 and, within three years, climbing from a pedestrian Category 3 rider to a competitive Category 1 cyclist catching the eye of coaches.

She competed on two teams over three years, traveling across the United States and Europe to races. She spent two of those years on the U.S. Cycling Team, and she capped her career with an appearance at the 2015 UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia.

She kept up a regular blog along the way, and that writing, combined with some reflection on her late-prime decision to chase a dream, inspired her to write a book.

“I started putting together a few stories that were the most memorable, and I really started honing in on what the key life lessons were,” she said.

She sought out help first in Steamboat, then teamed with a Denver-based editor and, late this summer, received a package at her home with something she may have once considered as distant as she once considered professional cycling — her own book.

“I started writing it last winter,” she said. “I just received the first copy in the mail last week. It’s all been an exciting experience, and there’s nothing like holding a book you wrote, with your name.”

Charity has a series of book signing events planned through the next few weeks in Steamboat.

First up is an event at 6 p.m. Thursday at Off the Beaten Path in downtown Steamboat. A launch party for the book is scheduled at 5 p.m. Sept. 14 at Townies, and another book signing is coming up Sept. 25 at Bud Werner Memorial Library. A

ll the events are open to anyone, no tickets required. The book costs $18.95.

To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 970-871-4253, email jreichenberger@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @JReich9.