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​9 Books About the Tour de France That Every Cyclist Should Read

Missing the Tour already? Here are nine new reads that should help tide you over until next season.

The First Tour de France: Sixty Cyclists and Nineteen Days of Daring on the Road to Paris

Buy It Now: Amazon.com

RELATED: A History of Tour de France Nutrition

Fueling the Cycling Revolution: The Nutritional Strategies and Recipes Behind Grand Tour Wins and Olympic Gold Medals

Want to know how Chris Froome stops a bonk on the Alpe d’Huez? Or how Team Sky fuels up before a Tour stage? This guide from the head of nutrition at Cannondale-Drapac not only helps you plan what to eat on and off the bike but also gives you a peek into the meal plans of the Grand Tour pros. Inside you’ll find pro rider anecdotes, recipes , and meal plans to help power your own ride life.

The Invisible Mile

This novel poetically reimagines the true story of the Ravat-Wonder cycling team, an Australian and Kiwi team that in 1928 became the first English-speaking peloton to compete in the Tour de France. The story is told from the perspective of one fictional rider, who slips back and forth between his suffering on the bike and meditating on his past and the traumas of the first World War.

The Art of the Cycling Jersey

A jersey is just an article of clothing, but it can also be so much more than that—particularly when it comes to the yellow, green, polka-dot, and white of the Tour de France . Through colorful photos and insightful text, this volume celebrates the functional and mythological beauty of those stretchy shirts we wear when we ride—from the simple, early days to the higher-tech present, including the jerseys of the Tour.

RELATED: The Stories Behind 8 Iconic Cycling Jerseys

Ventoux: Sacrifice and Suffering on the Giant of Provence

The Tour de France’s most famous peak is the focus of this book, which includes conversations with former yellow jersey wearers Lance Armstrong and Eddy Merckx on what makes “the killer mountain” such a fabled and terrifying climb.

Under the French Blue Sky: Diary of a Grand Tour

From the Grand Départ to the Champs-Élysées , every year cyclists from all over the world try to tackle the entire Tour route in a three-week span to share in the challenges of the Tour. This travelogue tells the story of one woman’s epic adventure riding all 21 stages, with all the triumphs and tribulations that riding 2,200 miles in 23 days entails.

The Climb: The Autobiography

Three-time Tour de France victor Chris Froome tells his unlikely story of growing up in Kenya and entering professional cycling as a climbing specialist in South Africa, before later joining Team Sky and becoming one of the most decorated pros of his generation . If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to develop the resilience needed to rise from humble beginnings and win multiple Grand Tours, this book belongs on your shelf.

Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer

To this day Lemond is celebrated as the United States’ first and only official Tour de France winner. This definitive volume documents his year-by-year progress from those early days as a promising junior rider to his later Tour triumphs and recovery from a near-death experience.

Shut Up, Legs!: My Wild Ride On and Off the Bike

Former pro Jens Voigt is beloved in cycling for many good reasons—he’s tireless, he’s funny, and he’s candid, to name just a few. “Shut Up, Legs” gives readers a glimpse of the man behind the titular catchphrase, from his childhood in East Germany to his race life staying clean through the doping era.

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Must-Read Tour de France Books

There have been thousands of books written about the tour de france - after all, there's been plenty to write about. and some of them have been real crackers..

There should be something for everyone on this list of books about the Tour de France , its history and its riders.

Histories of the Tour de France

Following the tour.

Graham Watson's Tour de France Travel Guide: The Complete Insider's Guide to Following the World's Greatest Race ( UK , US ) is a few years out of date now but it's still a practical guide to following the Tour. Photographer Watson is a 30-year veteran of the Tour – time he’s spent not just nailing some great photography, but also perfecting the logistics of organising the trip as a spectator. 

Tour de France cyclists

Merckx fans will enjoy Merckx 69: Celebrating the World's Greatest Cyclist in his Finest Year and Eddy Merckx: The Cannibal by Daniel Friebe.

William Fotheringham's ever-popular Put Me Back On My Bike: In Search of Tom Simpson remains an excellent read, as does The Badger: Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling .

There is also Indurain , The End of the Road: The Festina Affair and the Tour that Almost Wrecked Cycling , and Reckless: The Life and Times of Luis Ocana by Alasdair Fotheringham.  Racing Through the Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar   is the story of how one of Britain's most promising cyclists got sucked into a world of doping, his arrest and subsequent suspension from the sport tarnishing a promising career. But it's also a story of renewal as Millar writes about life in the wilderness and his journey back to the peloton. See also Millar's The Racer: The Inside Story of Life on the Road .

And to a British rider of a previous generation. Graeme Fife's Brian Robinson: Pioneer charts the life of the first Briton to complete the Tour de France, and the first to claim a stage victory. Robinson also became the first British rider to win the  Critérium du Dauphiné . Fife's book is a profile of a seemingly modest rider whose forays across the Channel and into Europe paved the way for others to follow.

To the modern peloton and we have tomes by Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish's At Speed . My Time ( UK , US ) is Bradley Wiggins' biography. It tracks his climb back from 2010, through the disappointments of 2011 to the podium in 2012 and then to the Olympics. See also My Hour – as the name suggests, it's about his hour record. There is also the more recent Icons: My Inspiration, My Motivation, My Obsession , with a foreward by Merckx.

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AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW! The official Tour de France 2024 race program and guide includes all the route maps for each stage, plus stage start and end times, and team and rider profiles.

Posted: 23 Apr 2024

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Read These 3 Books About the Tour de France

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By Concepción de León

• July 27, 2018

As the Tour de France nears its end, here are three books that trace its history and influence, as well as one amateur bicyclist’s adventurous attempt to complete the circuit on his own.

THE FIRST TOUR DE FRANCE Sixty Cyclists and Nineteen Days of Daring on the Road to Paris By Peter Cossins 384 pp. Nation Books. (2017)

As its title suggests, this book delves into the origins of what is now the biggest cycling event in the world. It was organized by editors of a flailing magazine who hoped to drive up interest in their publication, but few were eager to join the three-week long race; it was over tough terrain, more suited to horses than to bicycles, which weighed as much as 35 pounds at the time. The editors bribed a mishmash of unemployed laborers to participate, and Cossins uses their stories to paint a picture of France in the early 1900s to show how the race influenced the culture of cycling.

CYCLE OF LIES The Fall of Lance Armstrong By Juliet Macur 461 pp. Harper. (2014)

In this biography, Macur, a New York Times reporter, writes an illuminating portrait of the most notorious man in cycling. Though doping in sports preceded Armstrong, he was particularly calculated in his use: When he lost a race in 1995, he pressured his teammates into getting on a doping regimen and took extreme measures to ensure he wasn’t caught, like getting blood transfusions to force clean test results or pulling out of races to avoid being tested altogether. According to our reviewer, “what makes the story fascinating isn’t the dope,” but rather “Armstrong himself.” Based on interviews with Armstrong, estranged family members and more than 100 other witnesses, Macur tells the story of how Armstrong gained acclaim and what led to his eventual fall from grace.

FRENCH REVOLUTIONS Cycling the Tour de France By Tim Moore 277 pp. St. Martin’s Press. (2002)

This travelogue is one writer’s account of tracing the 2,256-mile Tour de France circuit of the 2000 race. He was out of shape and a novice biker, so he gave himself double the time, six weeks, to complete it. Our reviewer wrote that Moore “plays his foolhardy crusade purely for laughs, tempering the slapstick with bits of cycling lore and reflections on the event’s physical demands.” Moore gets lost within the first 10 minutes and soon starts cheating, pushing his bike up hills or skipping sections that are particularly challenging, but by the end, wrote our reviewer, “his triumphs — however modest — feel painfully earned.”

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Our favorite books to read during the Tour de France

The Tour de France has been around for over a century, with the first edition taking place in July 1903. The race has been run nearly every year since, pausing only for the two world wars.

The Tour was created by an enterprising French journalist who wanted to sell more newspapers. Henri Desgrange surely had no idea his little bicycle race would evolve into the world's largest annual sporting event, today watched by millions along the roadside and hundreds of millions more on TV.

With all the history come many excellent books to sink into. Here are our favorites — some new, some old, all worth reading.

"The First Tour de France" by Peter Cossins

An exquisite history of the first Tour de France.

"Having portrayed the race's itinerary 'from Paris to the blue waters of the Mediterranean, from Marseille to Bordeaux via pink-tinted and dreaming towns sleeping in the sun ... ' Desgrange revealed his two greatest hopes for the race: no less than the revitalization of French manhood and vitality, and the introduction of high-level sport to French provinces hitherto almost totally ignored by it."

Read more at Nation Books and buy it on Amazon .

"Road to Valor" by Aili and Andres McConnon

Elie Wiesel praised this detailed history for offering "a moving example of moral courage."

"At the age of 24, he stuns the world by winning the Tour de France and becomes an international sports icon. But Mussolini’s Fascists try to hijack his victory for propaganda purposes, derailing Bartali’s career, and as the Nazis occupy Italy, Bartali undertakes secret and dangerous activities to help those being targeted.

"He shelters a family of Jews in an apartment he financed with his cycling winnings and is able to smuggle counterfeit identity documents hidden in his bicycle past Fascist and Nazi checkpoints because the soldiers recognize him as a national hero in training."

Read more at roadtovalorbook and buy it Amazon .

"A Dog in a Hat" by Joe Parkin

American Joe Parkin pursued a dream to race in Europe. This is his "brutally frank memoir."

"I saw my first pro kermis race during my first week in Belgium, and it felt like trying to escape a hall of mirrors but not being able to read the exit signs. Everything was larger than life and more grotesque than I had imagined. But kermis racing was not all about the drugs. If the grand tours are like classical music, kermis racing is punk rock, Belgian-style."

Read more at VeloPress and buy it on Amazon .

"Reckless: The Life and Times of Luis Ocaña" by Alasdair Fotheringham

An intriguing book about a tragic figure. Eddy Merckx is the greatest cyclist of all time, and Merckx called Luis Ocaña his "most dangerous rival."

"He came across as a hero out of a Scott Fitzgerald novel, with that self-destructive, slightly crazy edge to him."

Read more at Bloomsbury and buy it on Amazon .

"Ventoux" by Jeremy Whittle

"Epic" is a word that diehard cyclists love to hate, but if one climb truly deserves the adjective, it's Mont Ventoux. This book is a deep dive into the epicest! of all the Tour climbs.

"They're all scared. Everybody's afraid. It gets so quiet you can hear a fly buzzing through the peloton." —Eddy Merckx

Read more at Simon & Shuster and buy it on Amazon .

"Rough Ride" by Paul Kimmage

A game-changing exposé, this is one Irish cyclist turned journalist's story about his experiences with widespread doping in pro cycling and the Tour de France.

"The law of silence: it exists not only in the Mafia but also in the peloton. Those who break the law, who talk to the press about the dope problems in the sport are despised. They are branded as having 'craché dans la soupe', they have 'spat in the soup'.

"In writing this book I have broken the law of silence. I have spat in the soup and a lot of people with resent me for it."

Read more at Penguin and buy it on Amazon .

"The Shattered Peloton" by Graham Healy

World War I would see more than 16 million troops and civilians die.

Many of the riders in the 1914 Tour did not return from the war, and three previous winners of the race were among those killed in action.

"Both the archduke and Sophie were dead within half an hour. Another member of the traveling party, Count Harrach, said that the archduke's last words were, "Sophie, Sophie! Don't die! Live for our children!"

"As the couple lay dying, the Tour de France continued toward Le Havre."

Read more at Breakaway Books and buy it on Amazon .

"The Secret Race" by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle

If you read only one book about Lance Armstrong and his corrupting power, read this unputdownable insider account of the sport's darkest figure in his brightest hour.

"One day I'm a normal person with a normal life," he said. "The next I'm standing on a street corner in Madrid with a secret phone and a hole in my arm and I'm bleeding all over, hoping I don't get arrested. It was completely crazy. But it seemed like the only way at the time."

Read more at Random House and buy it on Amazon .

"Why We Ride" by Patrick Brady

A collection of inspiring philosophical ruminations about the pedaling life.

"The bicycle is a thing of beauty, a potent antidote to the world's ills, an eternal E-ticket ride."

Read more at Red Kite Prayer and buy it on Amazon .

"The Art of the Jersey" by Andy Storey

Channel your inner cycling-design geek with this wonderful journey through 200 or so of the most iconic racing jerseys ever to grace the peloton.

Insightful commentary complements each of the colorful pictures.

Read more at Octopus Books and buy it on Amazon .

"Velopedia" by Robert Dineen

Everything you ever wanted to know about the world of road cycling in 101 fun and contemporary infographics.

Warning: This beautifully illustrated, colorful guide is tough to put down.

Read more at Quarto and buy it on  Amazon .

"The Ultimate Bicycle Owner's Manual" by Eben Weiss

Bike Snob NYC is probably the best read bike blogger on earth. In this humorous guide to bikes and bicycling, he helps readers get the most out of cycling so they can get out and ride.

Read more at Black Dog and Leventhal  and buy it on Amazon .

"Fuelling the Cycling Revolution" by Nigel Mitchell

Looking for a collection of amazing recipes that will fuel your amazing cycling adventures? Get a copy of this authoritative guide from one of the sport's top nutritionists.

The must-read practical guide to what to eat — on and off the bike — for any cyclist looking for a training and performance advantage.

Read more at Bloomsbury Publishing and buy it on Amazon .

"The Cycling Cartoonist" by Dave Walker

Should you store your bike in the living room? What is a good place to hide your new wheels from your partner? How do you become a MAMIL ?

This smart, humorous take on all things cycling is a sheer delight.

"Ask a Pro" by Phil Gaimon

Ever asked yourself, How should I explain my shaved legs to girls? This is the book for you.

A hilarious and often LOL book-length Q&A with a former pro who keeps it real.

"The Cyclist Who Went Out in the Cold" by Tim Moore

Ever dream of riding a tiny-wheeled, two-geared East German shopping bike 6,000 miles across the old Iron Curtain? Me neither. But Tim Moore did, and he did it.

A delight of a book that is hilariously written. A genuine page-turner.

Read more at Pegasus Books  and buy it on Amazon .

The Tour de France, Updated with a New Preface A Cultural History

• by Christopher S. Thompson (Author)
• First Edition
• Paperback $29.95,  £25.00 eBook $49.95,  £42.00

Title Details

Rights: Available worldwide Pages: 406 ISBN: 9780520256309 Trim Size: 6 x 9 Illustrations: 24 b/w photographs, 1 map

About the Book

In this highly original history of the world's most famous bicycle race, Christopher S. Thompson, mining previously neglected sources and writing with infectious enthusiasm for his subject, tells the compelling story of the Tour de France from its creation in 1903 to the present. Weaving the words of racers, politicians, Tour organizers, and a host of other commentators together with a wide-ranging analysis of the culture surrounding the event—including posters, songs, novels, films, and media coverage—Thompson links the history of the Tour to key moments and themes in French history. Examining the enduring popularity of Tour racers, Thompson explores how their public images have changed over the past century. A new preface explores the long-standing problem of doping in light of recent scandals.

About the Author

Christopher S. Thompson is Associate Professor of History at Ball State University.

“This is a history of the Tour de France with a difference. . . . There are several books to tell you who first won the yellow jersey or the identity of the youngest post-war winner of the Tour de France, the kind you might receive as a gift. This is sort of book you’d buy for yourself. . . . If you’re new to the sport and the history of the Tour perhaps I’d first suggest another book to explain why the yellow jersey is yellow and other basics. Instead this book is the next level of the analysis, if not the ultimate English-language guide to the Tour de France.” — //Inrng: The Inner Ring

“This book is filled fascinating material. . . . Thompson has made a great deal of sense out of this complicated story.” — Podium Cafe

“[This] is no lightweight compilation of anecdotes. It is a comprehensive history of France from the race’s inception. Culture, sport, media, politics, wars, are all put into context with an event that has played a huge role in French identity, long before Greg LeMond or Lance Armstrong were born.” — The Bike Blog-Albany Times Union

"Impossible to put down! . . . This is a fascinating and exceptionally well written book . . . social historians of France will find Thompson's study a treat." —Eugenia Kiesling French Politics, Culture & Society

“The Tour de France has now been run for more than a hundred years, but only in 2006 has it at last received the full-scale scholarly attention it has long deserved. As Christopher Thompson rightly observes in his splendid study of this cultural phenomenon, the history of the Tour has always, in a way, been about the history of France. . . . By setting twenty-first century dilemmas within a century-long historical narrative, Thompson has made the Tour's societal and cultural connections more comprehensible than ever before. One is tempted to write that this is first-rate sports history. Plain and simple first-rate French history will, however, do.” —Michael B. Miller H-France Review Of Books

“Released during the 2006 Tour, Thompson's work raises significant questions that only loom larger in the wake of the doping scandals that rocked the Tour this year . . . Thompson's great contribution to the current debate reflects his process throughout the work. He does not offer pat answers and saccharine bromides about the inherent values in sport that will transcend current controversies and eventually win out for the good of sport and society. Rather, he takes a hard look at how sport, and specifically the Tour, has served as a means for constructing, and contesting, a wide variety of social identities. He locates the tensions that existed, and exist, between competing narratives and teases them out for us. Ultimately, he reminds us that the current controversy regarding doping and the Tour is an important one; for in the face of ever-expanding genetic breakthroughs and the possibility of genetic manipulation, ‘the Tour is likely to be part of a global conversation about an even more fundamental question: what does it mean to be human?’” —Chris Mack H-German

“A well-written and engaging cultural history.” —Michael Zimmerman Indianapolis News & Star

Table of Contents

Preface to the 2008 Edition  Acknowledgments  Introduction  1. La Grande Boucle: Cycling, Progress, and Modernity  2. Itineraries, Narratives, and Identities  3· The Geants de La Route: Gender and Heroism  4. L 'Auto's Ouvriers de La PedaLe: Work, Class, and the Tour de France, 1903-1939  5· The Forr;ats de La Route: Exploits, Exploitation, and the Politics of Athletic Excess, 1903-1939  6. What Price Heroism? Work, Sport, and Drugs in Postwar France  Epilogue  Appendix: Racers' Occupations  Notes  Bibliography  Index

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Bicycle books: a tour of the best

The author of The Bicycle Book on the literature no self-respecting bike fan should be without

T hough cycling is a wide and democratic church, as open as its devotees, most books about the subject are concentrated in a single area: racing. There aren’t thousands of books about mountain biking or commuting or one of the many forms of cycling that almost certainly represent most people’s everyday experience, but there are lots about dead French pros. Broadly speaking, they are grouped into four areas.

First, there are guides to some practical aspect of the sport: detailed explanations of the best way to mend a puncture at 10,000ft, route guides etc. Often coupled with the author’s quest for the perfect derailleur/groupset/gîte d’étape. Unreadable, unless of course you need to change a tyre at 10,000ft.

Second, there is the School of Dull Suffering. Cycling is not fun. Cycling is not supposed to be fun. If it’s fun you’re doing it wrong, OK? Cycling is not about the sheer barefaced joy in freewheeling down a sunlit hill or rediscovering the hidden shape of Britain. Cycling is all about pain and percentage gains and Strava statistics, and then it’s about writing down your pain and statistics for other people to not read, or read and then beat. Thus it’s only after plodding through many, many chapters of personal immodesty spray-coated in a light film of self-deprecation that you realise the highlight of the text will almost certainly be three chapters on the author’s co-dependent relationship with performance roadwear, followed by a 1,000,000-word account of an unrecord-breaking ascent of a small hill in Wales. For the ultimate guide/take-off to the School of Dull Suffering, Google Velominati: The Rules .

Third, there are memoirs and biographies – many, many biographies – of specific pro riders. In these the writer sets off in pursuit of his hero, a Legend of the Cycling Gods (eg Eddy Merckx , Jacques Anquetil , Miguel Induráin), choosing to bring us closer to the action through an inch-by-inch analysis of one particular climb: Tourmalet , let’s say, or Alpe d’Huez . Some of these are great and beautifully written (see Tim Krabbé’s The Rider , or Richard Moore’s In Search of Robert Millar ), and some of them are very funny (see Tim Moore’s French Revolutions ) but many fail to translate the full edge-of-seat splendour of a great road race into anything other than a list of hairpins.

And last there are the few – very few – stone-cold classics that, even after a long day’s ride, might genuinely keep you awake at night.

Dervla Murphy : Wheels Within Wheels

Less about cycling, more about puncture repair. Back in the 1950s, Murphy took her old steel-framed tourer and rode away from an almost unendurable situation at home. She went from Ireland to India, and in doing so wheeled herself back to life and to sanity.

Flann O’Brien : The Third Policeman

Much of this book does not make sense, and almost all of it is not about bicycles. But it is undoubtedly the first text to posit the theory that if you spend too much time in the saddle then by some as yet entirely unscienced process of energetic exchange, you will yourself become a little bit mechanical. As O’Brien puts it: “You would be surprised at the number of people in these parts who are nearly half people and half bicycle.”

Les Woodward ed: The Yellow Jersey Companion to the Tour de France

The original, and still the best. Not a read-through guide, but an alphabetical tour of the tour. You may well end it more confused than when you started, but you will also have been roundly entertained. Worth it for the reminder that the Tour was founded by a car magazine, that its guiding spirit Henri Desgrange designed it to be at or beyond the limits of human endurance, and that despite banning gears, mechanics and even changes of clothing, he took a relaxed stance on drugs; he told riders to bring their own.

Graeme Obree : The Flying Scotsman

Obree comes from a country where, and a time when, only kids rode bikes. He broke the hour record and then broke it again, defined the 1990s through his rivalry with Chris Boardman, and has probably been responsible for more innovations to cycling than Sky. His autobiography – written in one great gulp of time – is excoriating. Honest to the point of pain, it details both his struggle with bipolar disorder and his suicide attempts. Unforgettable.

Lance Armstrong : It’s Not About the Bike

Controversial. But in truth there can be very few keen cyclists who didn’t have a copy of this on their bookshelves at one time, and who since Armstrong’s Miltonian fall from grace have not hurled it with great force towards the nearest charity shop. Reading it now, knowing that every motivational phrase, every ultra-alpha anecdote, every straight-up clear-eyed statement is untrue, is like reading a reversed image of the original text. If nothing else, it functions as a perfect psychological template of the lengths to which fear can push us.

Robert Penn: It’s All About the Bike

Penn disagreed with Armstrong and set off to prove that whether you tend towards something made of steel, carbon fibre or old curtain poles, the perfect bespoke bicycle surely lies in wait. Passionate, enthusiastic and as finely crafted as the bike he got out of it. NB: he’s a friend. It’s still a good book.

Emily Chappell: What Goes Around

Chappell gave up a life in academia to become a London cycle courier. Her account of the freelance life as she cycles 1,000 miles a week past rows with cabbies, suicidal pedestrians and secret squares is both a lovely lyric poem to the city and an insight into a kind of riding that, in mileage terms alone, is right up there with the pros.

Bella Bathurst is the author of The Bicycle Book (HarperPress).

• Tour de France
• Tour de France 2017
• Lance Armstrong
• Sport and leisure books

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Top 6+ Tour de France Books For 2023

As the cycling world gears up for another exhilarating spectacle, the Tour de France 2023 promises to be an extraordinary showcase of human endurance. As a cycling enthusiast, I stand witness to the awe-inspiring event that captures the hearts of millions of fans worldwide.

With its rich history, grueling stages, and iconic landscapes, the Tour de France has cemented its status as the pinnacle of professional cycling.

With every passing year, the Tour de France reinvents itself, providing an unparalleled platform for both seasoned veterans and rising stars to etch their names in the annals of cycling history. As we dive into the much-anticipated next chapter of this legendary race, cyclists from across the globe are ready to push their physical and mental limits, battling it out for the coveted yellow jersey.

2023 Year's Route

What the top Tour De France Books? History, Insider Stories

The Official History of The Tour De France (Updated), by Luke Edwardes-Evans, Serge Laget and Andy McGrath (2023)

The Official History of the Tour de France is a must-have book that pays homage to the illustrious legacy of one of the world's most revered sporting events—the Tour de France. As a cycling expert, I am delighted to recommend this comprehensive volume, which chronicles over a century of captivating stories, rare photographs, and iconic memorabilia associated with the race.

With more than 300 stunning photographs and rarely-seen documents, this book offers an immersive experience into the rich tapestry of the Tour de France. It showcases the event's enduring symbol, the iconic yellow jersey, while delving into the remarkable narratives that have shaped the race's history.

This revised and updated edition of the book provides readers with an authoritative and engaging account of each major era, right up to the exhilarating 2020 Tour de France—an extraordinary contest that defied all odds. The narrative captures the essence of the race, exploring the triumphs, challenges, and dramatic moments that have unfolded over the years. Additionally, a preview of the highly anticipated 2023 event sets the stage for the future of this legendary race.

The First Tour de France, by Peter Cossins (2017)

The inaugural Tour de France in 1903 left an indelible mark on the world of cycling, showcasing a colorful and unforgettable race. Despite initial reluctance from cyclists, who found the grueling conditions and heavy bicycles daunting, the event turned into a spectacle filled with adventure, mishaps, and even attempts at cheating.

The participants of the first Tour de France were a diverse and remarkable group, including amateurs hired from the outskirts of Paris, such as a butcher, a chimney sweep, and even a circus acrobat. Among them were iconic figures like Maurice ‘The White Bulldog' Garin and Hippolyte Aucouturier.

Both Garin and Aucouturier played pivotal roles in shaping the early years of the Tour de France and are remembered as significant figures in the sport's history.

Tour de France Climbs from Above, by Richard Abraham (2018)

This book is the visual companion to the exhilarating 110-year history of the Tour de France cycling event. This second edition takes readers on a remarkable journey, showcasing the awe-inspiring aerial photography of Google Earth.

The book focuses on 20 legendary Hors Categorie climbs, which are considered the most challenging ascents in the race and defy classification. Through high-definition satellite imagery, readers can experience the sheer thrill and intensity of these climbs, including iconic routes like the Col de la Bonette with its 2,715-meter ascent, the historic Great St Bernard Pass, the grueling 15 percent gradient climb of Col du Galibier, and the famous hairpin turns of Alpe d'Huez.

Alongside these stunning visuals, the book also provides detailed maps and expert annotations of the climbs, as well as captivating stories of legendary Tour riders such as Fausto Coppi and Marco Pantani.

The Secret Race, by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle (2013)

The Secret Race is a groundbreaking book that shook the world of professional cycling by exposing the widespread doping culture and specifically focusing on Lance Armstrong, the sport's most iconic rider. Written by former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton, who was once a key member of Armstrong's inner circle, the book provides a gripping and eye-opening account.

Author Daniel Coyle conducted extensive interviews with Hamilton, spanning over two hundred hours, and also gathered insights from teammates, rivals, and friends. Through these interviews, the book delves into the dark and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, team directors who would do anything to win, and athletes driven to the extreme to gain an unfair advantage. Hamilton's personal struggles with depression and his complicated relationship with Armstrong are also explored, offering a unique perspective.

This edition of the book includes a new Afterword, where the authors reflect on the recent developments in the sport and Armstrong's involvement over the past year. The Secret Race stands as a courageous act of witness, as Hamilton is determined to unveil the harsh truth about his sport, much like his past determination to win the Tour de France. It is a captivating and thought-provoking read that sheds light on the dark underbelly of professional cycling.

Tour de Force, by Mark Cavendish (2021)

Mark Cavendish, a British cyclist, overcame illness, mental health challenges, and doubts about his abilities to become the most successful British cyclist at the age of 22. After facing setbacks, clinical depression, and being written off by many, Cavendish believed his cycling career was coming to an unremarkable end at the age of 36. He hadn't won a single stage in any Grand Tour since 2016. However, his fortunes took a dramatic turn at the 2021 Tour de France. Given a spot on the Deceuninck Quick-Step team at the last minute due to Sam Bennett's injury, Cavendish seized the opportunity to rewrite history.

During the race, he reclaimed the green jersey he had first worn in 2011 and achieved four stage victories, matching the all-time record of 34 Tour de France stage wins held by Belgian legend Eddy Merckx. Cavendish's unwavering determination and inner strength drove him to accomplish a record that few believed he could ever achieve. This firsthand account from Cavendish provides an intimate perspective of his miraculous journey throughout the race.

100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of the Tour de France, by Simon Warren (2014)

The iconic mountain ranges of the Tour de France, from the Col du Tourmalet to Alpe d’Huez and from Mont Ventoux to Luz Ardiden, serve as the event's enduring core. Despite the changes in technology, training, and diet, these mountains have been a constant presence, witnessing both triumph and despair, and defining champions. These towering landscapes, open all year round, invite cyclists to emulate their heroes by conquering the 100 greatest cycling climbs of the Tour de France, where dreams can either be realized or shattered.

Simon Warren, the author of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs , has penned a comprehensive guide on these climbs. Each of the 100 climb entries in the guide includes a detailed description, an accompanying photograph, and a map indicating the climb's start and end, complete with directions. In addition, a factfile provides key details such as altitude, height gain, average gradient, the climb's Tour de France debut, and category. It also includes a difficulty rating, helping every cyclist to understand the challenge they're undertaking.

Final Words

In the modern world, the Tour de France stands as a formidable test of endurance, pushing cyclists to their physical and mental limits like never before. As we stand on the cusp of the 2023 edition, we anticipate a grueling battle that will demand unwavering dedication, meticulous preparation, and unwavering determination from the riders.

Moreover, the demands of the Tour de France extend far beyond the sheer physicality of the race itself. Enduring the relentless three-week schedule, cyclists must navigate through varying weather conditions, fatigue, and the ever-present risk of injuries. The battle against exhaustion becomes an inherent part of the race, as riders strive to maintain focus and push through the pain in pursuit of their goals.

If you are looking for more books on sports check out some golf books or maybe some books on basketball or soccer personality .

My profession is online marketing and development (10+ years experience), check my latest mobile app called Upcoming or my Chrome extensions for ChatGPT. But my real passion is reading books both fiction and non-fiction. I have several favorite authors like James Redfield or Daniel Keyes . If I read a book I always want to find the best part of it, every book has its unique value.

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Le Tour: A History of the Tour de France Paperback – June 1, 2007

When Henri Desgrange began a bicycle road race in 1903, he saw it as little more than a publicity stunt to promote his newspaper. The sixty cyclists who left Paris to ride through the night to Lyons had little idea that they were pioneers of the most famous of all bike races. A wonderful blend of history, sport, and culture, this account follows the Tour from its humble origins up to its present-day international fame. Alongside a collection of captivating cycling stories are tales of some of history’s most famous—and infamous—riders, among them Coppi, Simpson, and Armstrong. The Tour’s impact on French culture is also addressed, adding a unique and fascinating study of 20th-century European life.

• Print length 396 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date June 1, 2007
• Dimensions 7.75 x 1.25 x 5.25 inches
• ISBN-10 1847390862
• ISBN-13 978-1847390868
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

“Written with lordly panache, the book manages to retain its narrative drive while making frequent forays into other areas of French life . . . His research is impressive, he brings characters to life, and he understands the Tour’s mythic qualities and why they matter so much . . . This is a great story, vividly told.”  — Independent on Sunday

About the Author

Geoffrey Wheatcroft is a journalist and historian as well as the author of several award-winning books, including The Strange Death of Tory England and Yo, Blair!

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster UK; Updated edition (June 1, 2007)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 396 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1847390862
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1847390868
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 1.25 x 5.25 inches

About the author

Geoffrey wheatcroft.

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