This is real cycling, where the glory is and where dreams come true. So said Bradley Wiggins when, after years of huge success on the track and in time trials, he reached the summit of Mont Ventoux in the 2009 Tour de France alongside the best in the business. Mountains are where professional cycling’s legends are forged and its greatest heroes make their names. Every amateur rider too wishes they could climb better, but what is it about mountains that enthrals them? Are they addicted to the pain? To the achievement? Or to the allure of the peaks? Some spend their weekends ‘Everest-ing’, some a summer holiday cycling up mountains from start to finish. But how does a rider push themselves beyond their limits to get up a 10% gradient on pedal power alone? What is happening when they do? The Dark Glow of the Mountains is an exploration of the central place of mountains in the folklore of road cycling, of the mystique that surrounds the grimpeurs, or climbers, and why amateurs feel compelled to follow them. Interweaving adventure and travel writing with the rich narrative of the Grand Tours, Max Leonard speaks to the riders who conquered the summits and encounters stories of courage and sacrifice, war, love, obsession and elephants.

Higher Calling

Sports & Outdoors

Leonard, Max

Individual Sports

Yellow Jersey Press

This is real cycling, where the glory is and where dreams come true. So said Bradley Wiggins when, after years of huge success on the track and in time trials, he reached the summit of Mont Ventoux in the 2009 Tour de France alongside the best in the business. Mountains are where professional cycling’s legends are forged and its greatest heroes make their names.Every amateur rider too wishes they could climb better, but what is it about mountains that enthrals them? Are they addicted to the pain? To the achievement? Or to the allure of the peaks? Some spend their weekends ‘Everest-ing’, some a summer holiday cycling up mountains from start to finish. But how does a rider push themselves beyond their limits to get up a 10% gradient on pedal power alone? What is happening when they do?The Dark Glow of the Mountains is an exploration of the central place of mountains in the folklore of road cycling, of the mystique that surrounds the grimpeurs, or climbers, and why amateurs feel compelled to follow them. Interweaving adventure and travel writing with the rich narrative of the Grand Tours, Max Leonard speaks to the riders who conquered the summits and encounters stories of courage and sacrifice, war, love, obsession and elephants.

Higher Calling: Road Cycling's Obsession with the Mountains

Published in association with Rapha Racing: practical guides for cycling enthusiasts traveling in Europe From country lanes to city centers, everyone is getting on a bike: it offers a cheap, independent, green, and healthy way to explore. While cycle touring has been around for decades, biking in cities abroad is a newer phenomenon, coinciding with the rise of “cycle chic,” new urban bike routes, and city-sponsored rental services. Thames &amp; Hudson has joined with the sophisticated cycling brand, Rapha Racing, to produce a series of city-cycling guides geared to seeing Europe on two wheels. Each of the eight compact volumes in the boxed set features cycle-friendly neighborhoods in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Barcelona, and more, complete with itineraries, cycle maps, and cyclist-friendly places to visit. The guides are aimed at people interested in casual exploration, but there is also information for hardcore racing enthusiasts. Designed with the cyclist in mind, the slim paperbacks will fit easily into a backpack or back pocket. 400 color illustrations

City Cycling: Europe

Edwards, Andrew

Thames&Hudson

The Rio Tape/Slide Archive (The Rio Tape/Slide Archive: Radical Community Photography in Hackney in the 80s)

Arts & Photography

Denney, Alan

Stoll, Tamara

Woodyatt, Andrew

Photography & Video

Isola Press Limited

If you complete a bike race of over 3,000 miles in last place, overcoming mountain ranges and merciless weather, all while enduring physical and psychological agony, should you be branded the loser? What if your loss helped a teammate win? What if others lacked the determination to finish? What if you were trying to come in last? Froome, Wiggins, Mercks―we know the winners of the Tour de France, but Lanterne Rouge tells the forgotten, often inspirational and occasionally absurd stories of the last-placed rider. We learn of stage winners and former yellow jerseys who tasted life at the other end of the bunch; the breakaway leader who stopped for a bottle of wine and then took a wrong turn; the doper whose drug cocktail accidentally slowed him down and the rider who was recognized as the most combative despite finishing at the back. Max Leonard flips the Tour de France on its head and examines what these stories tell us about ourselves, the 99% who don't win the trophy, and forces us to re-examine the meaning of success, failure and the very nature of sport. 16 pages of B&amp;W and color photographs

Lanterne Rouge

Pegasus Books

A lively and entertaining history of the riders who have come in last place during the grueling 3,000-mile Tour de France Froome, Wiggins, Mercks―we know the winners of the Tour de France, but Lanterne Rouge tells the forgotten, often inspirational and occasionally absurd stories of the last-placed rider. We learn of stage winners and former yellow jerseys who tasted life at the other end of the bunch; the breakaway leader who stopped for a bottle of wine and then took a wrong turn; the doper whose drug cocktail accidentally slowed him down and the rider who was recognized as the most combative despite finishing at the back. Max Leonard flips the Tour de France on its head and examines what these stories tell us about ourselves, the 99% who don't win the trophy, and forces us to re-examine the meaning of success, failure and the very nature of sport.

Lanterne Rouge: The Last Man in the Tour de France

Guaranteed to appeal to all lovers of cycling, the author of Lanterne Rouge explores the glorious—and painful—allure of cycling up mountain peaks. Written with verve and enthusiasm, A Higher Calling explores why mountains have such a magnetic appeal to cyclists the world over. 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. After all, cycling up a mountain is hard. So hard that, to many, it can seem absurd. But for others, climbing a mountain gracefully (and beating your competitors up the slope) represents the pinnacle of cycling achievement. It is where legends are forged. Many books tell you where the mountains are, or how long and how high. None of them ask why. Why are mountain ranges professional cycling’s Coliseum? Why do amateurs also make pilgrimages to these high, remote roads? Why are the roads even there in the first place to lure us on to these obsession inducing climbs? Just why are mountains so enthralling? “This is real cycling, where the glory is and where dreams come true,” according to Bradley Wiggins. 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 push themselves beyond their limits to get up a 10% gradient on pedal power alone? What is happening when they do? A Higher Calling explores the central place of mountains in the folklore of road cycling. Blending adventure and travel writing with the rich narrative of racing, Max Leonard takes the reader from the battles that created the Alpine roads to the shepherds tending their flocks on the peaks, and to a Grand Tour climax on the “highest road in Europe.” And he tells stories of courage and sacrifice, war and love, obsession and even elephants, along the way.

Higher Calling: Cycling's Obsession with Mountains

Fixed-gear cycling has today become the coolest form of urban transport, giving rise to a global fixed-gear culture. Fixed is the first book to document fixed-gear cycling. The authors have traveled to cities around the world to examine at first hand the intersections between the fixed-gear bike's design and its racing heritage, and the street style and customization that are at the heart of its current popularity. Interviews with sports-people, frame-builders, and those at the nexus of design, art, and fixed-gear culture give an insight into fixed-wheel design, philosophy, and riding experience. The book will appeal to cyclistsfixed-gear riders, urban riders, racers, and those interested in cycling heritageas well as to a wider design audience.

Fixed: Global Fixed-Gear Bike Culture

Laurence King Publishing

It was never easy for Professor Green. Born into a tough Hackney estate and raised by his grandmother, the rapper was always learning the hard way - whether at school, on the streets of east London or on stage during impromptu freestyle battles. Indeed life and music have always been intertwined for the young rapper, but it wasn't until he was 24 that the two were brought into focus by the suicide of his father -and his emotions, ever since, have been reflected in the raw and often passionate lines of his lyrics. In this wonderful autobiography, Professor Green - a.k.a. Stephen Manderson - reflects on his life so far and how his upbringing and encounters - both good and bad - shaped the person and musician he is today. Passionate, raw and totally open, Lucky is the story of a boy's journey, from life close to the streets, all the while working towards becoming a successful musician, achieving that dream and eventually gaining that success, only to realise it wouldn't quite solve all of his problems...Lucky is accompanied by the exclusive Mix Tape app, which takes you closer to Professor Green and his story. With exclusive digital content for readers to enjoy, this is a rare insight into one of the most exciting and controversial musicians working in music today.

Lucky

Professor-Green

Humor & Entertainment

BLINK Publishing

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