Higher Calling: Cyclings Obsession with Mountains Leonard Max

Written with verve and enthusiasm, Higher Calling explores why mountains have such a magnetic appeal to cyclists the world over. After all, cycling up a mountain is hard. But Max Leonard, himself an accomplished amateur cyclist, does not forget the pain, the glory, the sweat, and the tears that go into these grueling climbs.

But for others, climbing a mountain gracefully (and beating your competitors up the slope) represents the pinnacle of cycling achievement. So hard that, to many, it can seem absurd. It is where legends are forged.Mountains are where cycling's greatest heroes have made their names.

Every amateur rider wishes they could climb better, too. Are all these people addicted to the pain? To the achievement?

Or to the allure of the peaks? Some spend their weekends and holidays cycling up mountains from start to finish. But how does a rider