Albert Koehl

May 15, 2025, Thurs – Etobicoke Historical Society, 7:30pm, “A Century of the Ups and Downs of the Bicycle: pride, prejudice, and politics.” Montgomery’s Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M9A 1A8.

Spring 2025, date TBA, Sat, 2pm. Mount Pleasant Library

Concluded Speaking Engagements (and related events)

Nov 3, 2024, 10am Sunday – Queen’s Alumni bike Tour de Toronto on Bloor starting at l’Espresso Cafe at Bloor and St George.

Oct 6, 2024, Sunday, Humber – Three Ravines Tour with Etobicoke Climate Action

Oct 3, 2024 Thurs, 6pm, Runnymede & Swansea Branch

Oct 2, 2024, Wed, 7pm … Don Mills Branch. Toronto Public Library. 888 Lawrence Avenue East.

Sept 28-29, 2024, Sat & Sunday, Word On The Street Toronto – Canada’s Largest Literary Festival, including UTP

Sept 29, 10am – In conjunction with October 1 Seniors Climate Day of Action – bicycle industry-themed event: A Ride for the Ages. Ride from Curbside Cycle to Weston to The Junction, ending at Henderson Brewery

Aug 14, 2024, 6pm, Wed., North York Library – Eventbrite listing

Aug 11, Sun 1pm – West End Phoenix, Women on Bikes, with Julia Morgan and TR Ormond

Aug 12-14, 2024 Detroit – American Professional Bicycle Planners Assoc annual meeting (promotion of book)

July 7 – Chaveta Coffee, with four other authors, 994 Bathurst

June 17, Transport Futures, 1-2 pm. Online.

June 1, Sat, A Novel Spot Bookshop. 1500 Islington Avenue. This is a ride followed by a book launch event at the shop.

May 29, Book launch event, Fix Coffee + Bikes. 7pm. 80 Gladstone Ave.

May 27, Mon, l’Espresso. 321 Bloor West at St George. 5:30 to 8:30, Book launch event.

May 22, Wed, Pedaal, 146 Brunswick Ave at Harbord, Book Launch and Bike Tour

May 14, Tues – official date of book release

May 4 – Jane’s Walk – walking tour – “The incredible Dr Doolittle and Toronto’s First Bicycle Craze”

May 3 – Jane’s Walk – bike tour – “The incredible Dr Doolittle and Toronto’s First Bicycle Craze”

Book stores in Toronto and beyond that carry Wheeling Through Toronto

A Novel Spot bookstore, 1500 Islington Ave, Etobicoke
Another Story, Roncesvalles Avenue
Ben McNally Books, Queen St. E
BookCity (Bloor West Village, Yonge Street – Midtown, Danforth Ave)
Bookshelf, 41 Quebec Street, Guelph, Ontario
Curbside Cycle, 412 Bloor W
Fix Coffee + Bikes, 80 Gladstone Ave
Indigo/Chapters – 33 locations in Greater Toronto Area
Novel Idea, 156 Princess Street, Kingston, Ontario
Spacing Store, 401 Richmond Street
Type, 427 Spadina Rd, Forest Hill; 883 Queen St. W; 2887 Dundas St W, The Junction
University of Toronto Bookstore, St George St. at College St.

Toronto Public Library (23 branches)

Online from U of T Press and other online sources

Media interviews

Nov 9, Fresh Air, CBC, Ismaila Alfa, 8:10am

June 4. Here and Now, CBC

Reviews and articles

York University Retirees Association, Newsletter, Fall, 2024, Steve Glassman, Book Review

Book review by Two-Wheeled Politics – June 11, 2024, Robert Zaichkowski

Book review by Biking in a Big City – May 28, 2024, Jun Nogami

Take a ride through Toronto’s biking history in this free tour by longtime cycling advocate – May 21, 2024, Anushka Yadav

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“I thought I knew everything I needed to know about cycling in Toronto, but Albert Koehl’s book takes things into a whole new gear. Wheeling through Toronto is a fascinating, fun, and thorough history of more than 100 years of biking in Toronto, revealing that a lot of the political battles around bike infrastructure we’re navigating today aren’t new at all. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand what it means to get around Toronto on two wheels.”

Matt Elliott, city columnist, Toronto Star

“Riding a bike is one of the most freeing experiences you can have in a city, yet for the better part of a century it has also been a dangerous adventure on Toronto’s streets. Albert Koehl does a tremendous job of documenting the historical challenges and politics of the bicycle and its impact on the city’s transportation planning. Koehl’s extensive research in Wheeling through Toronto reminds us that sustainable transportation options continue to face numerous systemic barriers despite the obvious and pressing need to address the current climate crisis.” Matthew Blackett, publisher and creative director of Spacing

“From the creation of the most ‘benevolent machines,’ through the dark days of urban design that put motorized vehicles ahead of humans, to the present when the city has a mayor who loves – and rides – her bicycle, Wheeling through Torontospins through 130 years of cycling history. Next time you’re riding near a bookstore, zip in and pick up a copy.” Laura Robinson, journalist, and author of Cyclist BikeList: The Book for Every Rider

“Koehl’s Wheeling through Toronto presents a lively account of the rise, fall, and rebirth of cycling in Toronto between 1896 and the present. People moving from home to work and, outside working hours, to play created a tense contest among automobile owners, transit users, and cyclists – which motorists appeared to be winning. But the recent rediscovery of cycling in the face of a growing environmental catastrophe opens a new chapter in Toronto’s transportation history.” Glen Norcliffe, Professor Emeritus of Geography and Senior Scholar, York University

“In Wheeling through Toronto, Albert Koehl shows us three things. First, the bicycle has long been an important part of the city’s transportation and social history. Second, bicycles are a big part of the present day largely because of decades’ worth of cycling advocacy and activism. Third, bicycles must and will be a critical part of Toronto’s sustainable, efficient, and fun mobile future.” Shawn Micallef, author of Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto and co-founder of Spacing

“Albert Koehl’s book is an important synthesis of Toronto’s cycling history. It allows riders like me to understand fully the riding landscape that I travel through every day. Frustratingly, some of the same old anti-cycling practices and rhetoric keep returning to public discourse. But ultimately, Koehl’s work shows how the bike and the city are continuing to grow together.” Matthew Pioro, editor, Canadian Cycling Magazine

Author Talks – Wheeling Through Toronto (U of T Press)

Upcoming events in 2024 and 2025

Concluded Speaking Engagements (and related events)

Book stores in Toronto and beyond that carry Wheeling Through Toronto

Media interviews

Reviews and articles

The Trillium: Doug Ford says only 1.2% of Torontonians commute by bike. That’s not true.

The Trillium: How a handful of Toronto businessmen got their way on bike lanes provincewide