Tour de FranceThe History, The Legend, The Riders

by Fife Graeme (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2006

  $3.24

  Billed as the race that would make the transition to a new era after the metronomic dominance of Lance Armstrong, the 2006 Tour de France erupted in scandal even before it had started, when thirteen riders, including two of the hot favourites, were excluded on suspicion of doping. The field was now wide open and within a week the yellow jersey had changed hands an unprecedented number of times. Then, came the ultimate drama. After a massive collapse, American Floyd Land's looked as though he was out of the running, but the next day he made a heroic fight-back and eventually went on to win the Tour. Three days later, however, it was revealed that Land's had tested positive for increased levels of testosterone, and it looked as though the winner would be stripped of his title for the first time in the race's long history. In this updated edition of the highly acclaimed Tour de France , Graeme Fife sets this year's scandal in the context of the event's remarkable history, which began in July 1903. Combining meticulous research with a pacey narrative style, Fife penetrates the mystique of the race and paints a colourful picture of the men whose exploits have given the Tour an enduring universal appeal. With tales of great solo rides, amazing fortitude, terrible misfortune and triumph, Tour de France is the definitive account of this extraordinary competition and has been named one of the top-five sports books of the year by both The Independent and The Times.

• Used

  Paperback
  2000

  $3.24

  In July 1903 a group of cyclists left Paris at the start of an epic country-wide race. The first Tour de France took the riders across the high mountains of the Alps and Pyrenees, over roads little better than cart tracks. Travelling vast distances over day and night, the riders had to carry out their own repairs and find their own food and water. In the 1990s, by comparison, riders are pampered; the Tour de France organization caters to their every need. Yet the Tour continues to be the toughest of cycling competitions, with man and bike pitted against all kinds of terrain and weather, in unremitting competition for three weeks with their rivals. In this volume, tales of great solo rides, amazing fortitude and gallantry, misfortune and triumph over the odds emerge from the Tour de France's remarkable history. The riders who have ridden, lost and won the Tour are shown here to be a breed apart. This edition covers the 1999 race.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1999

  $3.24

  It is one of sport's toughest ordeals and the ultimate test for professional cyclists. The Tour de France sees riders pitted against all kinds of terrain and weather, in unrelenting competition with their rivals for three weeks. This entertaining and highly-acclaimed book gives a compelling insight into the mystique of the race and the unique fascination it has always exercised on devoted bike fans and occasional enthusiasts alike. Graeme Fife's Tour de France tells tales of great solo rides, amazing fortitude, terrible misfortune and triumph over the odds from the race's remarkable history. Combining meticulous research with a pacy narrative style, Fife paints a colourful and memorable picture of the men whose exploits have give the Tour an enduring universal appeal.