Happy 100th race, Tour de France The deluxe "Official Treasures" series celebrates the grand occasion with a brand-new boxed edition. It gives fans of this 2,200-mile event considered the greatest test of endurance in the sporting world an authoritative account of each major era up to and including the 2012 Tour, plus 40 items of historic memorabilia packaged into six folders. The removable facsimiles include souvenir brochures, period newspapers, posters, stickers, and postcards and correspondence from leading cyclists. An official publication of ASO, the organizers of the Tour de France, in tandem with the French sports newspaper "L'Equipe," this volume features a foreword by Bernard Hinault, a five-time champion and Tour ambassador."

Comprising an authoritative narrative account of each major era in the history of the epic race, up to and including the 2007 Tour, this work also contains 40 facsimile items of sporting memorabilia integrated into its pages. The greatest endurance test in sports, the Tour de France covers more than 2,200 miles in just over three weeks, climbing high into the Alps and Pyrenees on a circular journey around France and into neighboring countries before ending on the Champs-Élysées. This official publication of the Tour's organizers presents an authoritative history of the sport, including 40 items of rare memorabilia such as personal letters from champions, logbook entries, regulations from 1910, and more!

The Treasures of the Tour de France comprises an authoritative narrative account of each major era in the sport up to and including the 2008 Tour. The reportage is complemented by features on the superstars and the memorable moments for each of the eras. It also contains 40 facsimile items of rare sporting memorabilia integrated into the pages of the book. The reader can relive the dramatic events that have entranced the watching millions by holding and examining souvenir brochures, period newspapers, posters, stickers, postcards and items of correspondence from leading figures associated with the epic sports event.

An illustrated celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Tour de France. TREASURES OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE is a celebration of the 100th edition of the one of the world's most famed annual events. Generally considered to be the greatest test of endurance in the sporting world, the Tour de France covers more than 2200 miles in just over three weeks, climbing high into both the Alps and Pyrenees on a circular journey around France and briefly into neighbouring countries before ending on Paris's iconic Champs-Elysees. This brand new edition, in an exciting new format with new features and stories, comprises an authoritative narrative account of each major era in the sport up to and including the 2012 Tour and items of memorabilia from the past 109 years. There are features on the superstars and the memorable moments for each of the years. It also contains 40 facsimilie items of rare sporting memorabilia from the race archives packaged into six folders. The reader can relive the dramatic events that have entranced the watching millions by holding and examining souvenir brochures, period newspapers, posters, stickers, postcards and items of correspondence from leading figures associated with the epic sports event.

When Henri Desgrange decided to stage a bicycle race as a publicity stunt to promote his cycling newspaper, L'Auto, in 1903, he could have had little idea that the event would, a century later, have evolved into one of the world's most iconic and perhaps greatest sporting events. this fascinating book plots the extraordinary evolution of this great race, from its early beginnings and pre-war rivalries, to its post-war re-establishment. It includes the great conflicts between riders in the late 1940s and 1950s, and the emergence of cycling superstars from the 1960s and beyond who would go on to dominate eras of the race. the Official treasures of Le tour De France comprises an authoritative narrative account of the event s history, up to and including the 2006 race, complemented by features on the superstars and the memorable moments of each era, maps of the key stages and stats boxes. Also included are more than 30 facsimile items of rare sporting memorabilia, such as souvenir brochures, period newspapers, posters, stickers, postcards and correspondence. Many of these items are previously unpublished.

From illness and mental health challenges to becoming the most successful British cyclist at the age of 22, Mark Cavendish shares his inspiring account of his record-breaking rise to the top of the world's biggest cycling stage at the 2021 Tour de France. Deep down, Mark Cavendish thought he was finished. After illness, setbacks and clinical depression, the once fastest man in the world had been written off by most. And at the age of 36, even he believed his explosive cycling career would fade out with a whimper. The Manxman hadn't won a single Grand Tour stage in Italy, Spain, or France since 2016. But then came his incredible resurrection at the 2021 Tour de France. Included on the Deceuninck Quick-Step team at the very last minute, only after Sam Bennett suffered an injury, Mark set about rewriting history. He claimed back the green jersey he first wore in 2011, and his four stage victories finally saw him matching Belgian legend Eddy Merckx's all-time record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. Cycling greats are never content, and Cavendish's dogged determination and inner strength had earned him the record that few believed he could ever achieve. This is his own intimate account of that race, right from the saddle of the miracle tour. Praise for Tour de Force: "The greatest comeback in sports history." —GQ magazine "A miracle." —Eddy Merckx

"Shows that sport has been for us moderns the ultimate tabula rasa into which we pour our hopes, fears, prejudices and self-interest."—Robert A. Nye, author of Crime, Madness, & Politics in Modern France and Masculinity and Male Codes of Honor in Modern France "A true gem of a book. A terrific scholar and an engaging writer."—Dean MacCannell, author of The Tourist and Empty Meeting Grounds "A major new interpretation of France's most famous sporting event. For the first time the Tour de France has been fully and carefully placed within the wider context of French history."—Richard Holt, author of Sport and Society in Modern France and Sport and the British "Chris Thompson has written an engaging, nicely-paced account of France's world-famous cycle race: his writing is lively and full of detail and excitement. But he has done much more than simply narrate the story of the Tour. His book sets the race—its history, its participants and its meaning—firmly in its shifting national and cultural contexts. The sections dealing with professional cycling as a form of labor and with the Tour's place in France's troubled twentieth century are absolutely first-rate: insightful and original. This is the best history of the Tour that we have and are likely to have for many years, a work of scholarship that deserves to find a broad general readership."—Tony Judt, author of Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945