I'm not sure if it's the book to which the author was referring (he doesn't give any references), but I've found Bicycling Science by David Gordon Wilson [MIT P

I'm not sure if it's the book to which the author was referring (he doesn't give any references), but I've found Bicycling Science by David Gordon Wilson [MIT Press] to have a very informative treatment of human power generation. It also includes an entertaining introduction concerning the evolution of the modern bicycle. http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Science-David-Gordon-Wilson/dp/0262731541/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276434642&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Science-David-Gordon-Wilson/...