The pinnacle of road cycling has always been the climb – climbing a mountain gracefully, beating your competition up the slope. The mountains are where cycling legends are formed. Max Leonard goes in-depth to explore this obsessional relationship. He asks why road cyclists have turned Europe’s mountains into the Colosseum of the cycling world. He explores the pilgrimages that amateur cyclists have created of these high, remote roads and what they see and feel when they do. Higher Calling explores the central place of mountains in the folklore of road cycling. Leonard beautifully combines adventure and travel writing with the narrative of pro racing – taking readers from the battles that created the Alpine roads in the first place, to the shepherds tending their flocks on the peaks, to a Grand Tour climax on the highest road in Europe. Through this journey, Leonard brings together stories of courage and sacrifice, war and love, and obsession.