by Lance Armstrong (Introduction), L' Equipe (Author), Lance Armstrong (Introduction), Jean-Marie Leblanc (Introduction)
'The history of the Tour is a huge history, with fantastic, epic stories. I'm just one of the actors on the stage of TDF history...looking at the photos and history of the 100 years of the Tour I was able to learn this history' - Lance Armstrong (5-times winner) The Tour de France is the world's largest annual sporting event with worldwide audience figures only exceeded by the Olympics and the Football World Cup. Yet its first edition in 1903 was little more than an outlandish publicity stunt staged by L'Auto newspaper to increase its circulation throughout France. But by the end of the century, no single sporting event could compare for excitement, passion and adventure - not to mention sheer physical difficulty - and few could claim to have had such a fascinating and even turbulent history. Year by year, this book chronicles the first one hundred years of the Tour capturing its true spirit. It draws on an unprecedented wealth of photography and journalism from L'Equipe's archives.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 360
Publisher: W&N
Published: 10 Jun 2004
ISBN 10: 1841882399
ISBN 13: 9781841882390
Book Overview: This is THE official book - much bigger, much better than its competitors, but no more expensive. It is a marvellous reference book and exceptional value.' THE TIMES 'Just like the race itself (this book) is a gigantic, glamorous affair... what really makes this book special is the mix of writing styles that so accurately reflect the race... CYCLING WEEKLY Complete with a Foreword by Tour legend Lance Armstrong. When the Tour came to England in 1996, 3 million people watched from the roadside. Fully endorsed by the Tours organizers and founders. Over original 500 photograhs from L'Equipe's unparalleled archive.