Cycling Science

As the world's foremost cycling nation, the Netherlands is the only country where the number of bikes exceeds the number of people, primarily because the Dutch have built a cycling culture accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or economic means. Building the Cycling City examines the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch while also presenting stories of North American cities already implementing lessons from across the Atlantic.

Behind every Summer Olympic scoring soccer kick, tennis-ball bounce, and hard-hitting volleyball serve, science is at work. The type of kick used on a soccer ball affects its path. An equestrian leans forward during a jump to help the horse balance. Cyclists wear tight clothing to reduce drag. Find out how science is involved in several popular Summer Olympic events and how athletes take science into account in their quest for the gold medal.

Covering interesting and varied philosophical terrain, Cycling - Philosophy for Everyone explores in a fun but critical way the rich philosophical, cultural, and existential experiences that arise when two wheels are propelled by human energy.

In Birding Under the Influence, Dorian Anderson, a neuroscience researcher on a pressure-filled life trajectory, walks away from the world of elite institutions, research labs, and academic publishing. In doing so, he falls in love and discovers he has freed himself to embrace his lifelong passion for birding.

For professional cyclists, going faster and winning are, of course, closely related. Yet surprisingly, for many, a desire to go faster is much more important than a desire to win. Someone who wants to go faster will work at the details and take small steps rather than focusing on winning. Winning just happens when you do everything right - it's the doing everything right that's hard. And that's what fascinates and obsesses Michael Hutchinson.

In 1772, angry Rhode Island colonists set fire to a British ship, sparking the American Revolution. Taxation without representation was a motivator. So was the vengeful, man-eating mermaid who had it out for the commanding officer. That was then. This is now. Mermaids, or merrow, still hunt in Narragansett Bay, but these days they keep a lower profile. At night, centuries-old Nomia seduces smutty frat boys, lures them into icy waters, and feeds them to her voracious kin. By day, she and her half-breed daughter attempt to blend in at the coastal Village Playground.

Cycling through Time is about second and third chances. Trevor Rogers is one of the few people in the world who has access to his own past. Trevor's wife, Susan Rogers, a physicist, works in a highly contained government facility. The news of her pregnancy came the same week as news that Trevor had only a few months to live. The numbers all added up in her head. They did not look good.... Once she sent him to the past, they would both have to work smart and fast. When he returned from the past, they would hop into the gate together in their future.

With The World Up Close, bicyclist Kameel Nasr has created a fascinating and personal introduction to the world's people, sharing diverse episodes from his 40,000-mile bicycle journey through 70 countries. Nasr offers his readers a vicarious view across the handlebars as he tackles the Appalachians, the Anders, the Himalayas...crosses Sinai in the summer...shares the ever-present fears of Central Americans...explores Morocco's Hashish Trail.

Functioning alcoholic Evie McFagan thought her family was safe. She was wrong. Forced to choose between her estranged brother, Richard, and the family she created, Evie embarks on a dangerous journey with an unlikely ally - Nomia, the same aqua-maniac who almost killed her three years prior. But how can she trust a bloodthirsty merrow?

Anti-hero and functioning alcoholic Evie McFagan enters into a dark agreement with her estranged brother, Richard. Their family history has driven Richard to destroy creatures within a world hidden from us all. Richard wants Evie to join their murderous family business. As the siblings journey North to the wild coastline of Maine, Evie must decide where her loyalties lie—with her strange nefarious family ties? Or with the man who loves her unconditionally?