Author

Leslie Reissner
Growing up in the two-wheel desert that was Canada decades ago, Leslie Reissner discovered the joys of cycling when he and a friend rode from London to Munich one summer after high school. Since then, he has done some long distance riding in Europe, including the Camino de Santiago (which apparently entitles him to reduced time in Purgatory), dragged himself over major climbs in the Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites, Vosges and Appalachians, and even done some racing. In spite of owning 11 bicycles and a cool sports car, Leslie still stays indoors for six months of the year due to the lousy weather and terrible roads in Ottawa but at least he has time to listen to classical music and read a lot of cycling books.
Don't be misled by the title of this excellent book. “Pantana Was A God” is not a panegyric, a worshipful recounting of the life of the last pro cyclist to win the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same year. It is two books in…
PEZ Bookshelf: Maglia Rosa – Triumph and Tragedy at the Giro d’Italia
Thanks to “Maglia Rosa: Triumph and Tragedy at the Giro d’Italia” by British author/Italian resident Herbie Sykes we have not only an English-language history of the Giro d’Italia, which is in itself distressingly rare, but an…
PEZ Goes to the Movies: Until the Wheels Come Off
The Race Across America (RAAM) fascinates and repels at the same time. An epic event launched in 1982, the route currently runs from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland, a distance of roughly 4,800 kms (3,000 miles). The race is…
PEZ Goes to the Movies: The Super Collectors
Our world of cycling offers so much variety, from commuting, singletracking, bikepacking or, if you have an amazing sense of balance, you can impress by riding indoors in circles during the UCI Art Cycling Championships. There are all…
PEZ Goes to the Movies: The Least Expected Day, Season 2
Everyone's favourite dysfunctional team returns to you-are-there video as Season 2 of “The Least Expected Day,” a very intimate portrait of Movistar, the World Tour professional cycling team that just can't seem to get it together, streams…
PEZ Bookshelf: The Call of the Road
Cycling offers a grand buffet of disciplines, from the narrow specialities of track racing to the diversity needed for the open road, mountains or the looney antics of cyclocross. The origins, history and present state of road racing are…
PEZ Bookshelf: Balmamion
The Giro d'Italia has been won more than once by 22 riders, but only eight of riders have managed to win consecutive races. In the postwar period, only Coppi, Merckx and Indurain have managed. Oh, and a somewhat lesser figure-Franco…
PEZ Bookshelf: ‘Raincoats are for Tourists’ – The Racing Secrets of Raphaël…
'Le Grand Fusil' - The Big Gun - they called him and he is still firing away after all these years. Raphaël Geminiani was a talented albeit hotheaded pro racer before becoming a brilliant albeit hotheaded Directeur Sportif and definitely…
Pez Bookshelf: The Art of Cycling
Participants in men's professional bike racing have not been noted for intellectual pursuits or firepower. Maybe you don't have to think much when riding. But in “The Art of Cycling,” perhaps the most unusual cycling-related book we have…
PEZ Turns 20: Retro Ride In Velo Veritas
While 2022 marks PezCyclingNews' 20th anniversary, there are other milestones worth recognizing. For those riding virtually this year marked the 10th edition of The Tour of Sufferlandria, but for those wanting to ride outdoors and enjoy the…