Tour de France: The History . . . the Legend . . . the Riders . . .

An updated edition sets the 2012 race in the context of the event's remarkable history, stretching back to July 1903

Combining meticulous research with a pacy narrative style, this book penetrates the mystique of the race and paints a colorful picture of the participants whose exploits have given the Tour an enduring universal appeal. With tales of great solo rides, amazing fortitude, terrible misfortune, and triumph, this is the definitive account of this extraordinary competition. Named one of the top-five sports books of the year by both the Independent andthe Times, it is the essential guide to the Tour.