the world of the tour de france: the riders, the bikes, the teams, the history

The World of the Tour de France is a celebration of one of the world’s great annual sporting events, and the top competition in world cycling. This book covers the Tour from its humble beginnings in 1903 and features memorabilia and rare photographs, with a full breakdown of the major teams and profiles of the legendary riders who have won the fabled yellow jersey. Since World War II 55 towns and cities have been involved in starting the Tour and Pays Basque will set the stage for the Grand Depart in 2023. This fully illustrated book includes an authoritative narrative on the teams, the riders, the bikes and the epic mountain climbs that have featured throughout the history of the Tour, complemented by evocative images from each era of the race.

Stephen Puddicombe is a freelance cycling writer and has written for various outlets over the last ten years, including Cycling Weekly, Cyclingnews, Rouleur, Velonews and Tour magazine. He specialises in road racing, and remains as passionate as ever about the sport he grew up watching.