
Why do road cyclists go to the mountains? After all, cycling up a mountain is hard – so hard that, to many non-cyclists, it can seem absurd. But, for some, climbing a mountain gracefully (and beating your competitors up the slope) represents the pinnacle of cycling achievement. The mountains are where legends are forged & cycling’s greats make their names. Many books tell you where the mountains are, or how long & how high. None of them ask ‘ Why?’ Why are Europe’s mountain ranges professional cycling’s Wembley Stadium or its Colosseum? Why do amateurs also make a pilgrimage to these high, remote roads & what do we see & feel when we do? Why are the roads there in the first place? Higher Calling explores the central place of mountains in the folklore of road cycling. Blending adventure & travel writing with the rich narrative of pro racing, Max Leonard takes the reader from the battles that created the Alpine roads to the shepherds tending their flocks on the peaks, & to a Grand Tour climax on the ‘highest road in Europe’. & he tells stories of courage & sacrifice, war & love, obsession & elephants along the way.