What's Cool In Road Cycling

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.

PEZ Bookshelf: The Cyclist’s Cookbook

Leslie Reissner
“Food, glorious food! What is there more handsome?” sang the boys in the musical “Oliver” and for those of us putting in the miles, is a germane question. And while one's thoughts turn to pizza and beer, we know that the right food should…

PEZ Bookshelf: The Road Book 2021

Leslie Reissner
Following the global disruptions of 2020, the question was whether this year would see some kind of return to normality. If “normal” means the same kind of exciting racing we actually did see last year, then 2021 had plenty to offer and…

Pez Bookshelf: The Art of Cycling

Leslie Reissner
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 Bookshelf: Higher Calling

Leslie Reissner
Ah, mountains! Perhaps they share only with the sea something that universally arouses us to flights of poetry and fancy. “Higher Calling” is a book by Max Leonard that endeavours to explain this attraction to “up.” Beautifully written and…

PEZ Bookshelf: Peloton Legends

Leslie Reissner
Sports fans love comparisons. Baseball is famous for its obsession with statistics (“The most successful left-handed pitcher throwing against a Chicago team on a Tuesday evening...”) and certainly all sports have record-holders. Pro…

PEZ Bookshelf: The Midlife Cyclist

Leslie Reissner
Carefully working my way through Phil Cavell's “The Midlife Cyclist” for some weeks now, a remarkable book of startling scope, whenever I mention the title it causes people to smile or laugh indulgently. But “The Midlife Cyclist” is…