Le Tour - Tapa blanda

To coincide with the 2007 Tour de France, which for the first time ever started in London, this updated paperback edition looks back on over 100 years of the world’s most famous cycling event.

Since its inception in 1903 the Tour de France has been renowned as one of the most gruelling, exacting and exciting events in the sporting calendar. It has been given even greater prominence in recent years by the attention attracted by Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor and 7-times winner of one of the greatest sporting challenges ever.

In 2003 the Tour de France celebrated its 100th anniversary, and in 2007 the Tour began its course in, for the first time ever, in London. This book provides enthusiasts and casual spectators alike with a celebratory visual guide to the first century of the Tour and, with it, the changing face of France. The images in the book cover all aspects of the life of le Tour, from road-side spectators to competitors, marshals and majestic scenery. It also includes a foreword by triple Olympic medallist Bradley Wiggins, with material on the London start from the man who will be competing in the event itself, carrying the nation’s hopes for a British victory.

Jeremy Whittle is editor of Procycling magazine and the British edition of the Official Guide to the Tour de France. He is also cycling correspondent to The Times and the author of Yellow Fever, an acclaimed account of the controversial 1998 tour. Jeremy has been writing about cycling since 1993 and has also appeared on BBC Radio 4, Radio 5 and CNN.

Bradley Wiggins is one of the leading lights in British cycling today having won three Olympic medals in Athens in 2004. With this success swiftly followed by an OBE, he is now also a columnist for The Observer and will be the face of the 2007 London Tour tie-in.