Books about The Tour de France

Books about The Tour de France on this page: The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 1 | The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 2 | Tour de France: The Illustrated History | Ascent - The Mountains of the Tour de France | Maillot Jaune: The Tour de France Yellow Jersey | Alpe d'Huez-The Legend | An Intimate Portrait of the Tour de France | Blazing Saddles | Yellow Fever: The Dark Heart of the Tour de France | Tourmen: The Men Who Made the Tour de France | Tour de France: Three Weeks to Glory | Tour de France/Tour de Force | Tour Fever - The Armchair Cyclist's Guide to the Tour de France | Inside Cycling 1987 Tour de France Guide | The 2001 Tour de France: Lance X3 | 2002 Tour de France: The Official Guide | The 2003 Tour de France, 100th Anniversary Tour | The 2004 Tour de France - Armstrong Rewrites History | 2005 Tour de France Official Guide | The 2005 Tour de France: Armstrong's Farewell | Tour de France Companion 2005

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The Story of the Tour de France: How a Newspaper Promotion Became the Greatest Sporting Event in the World - Volume 1: 1903-1964. New paperback, $19.95/each

By Bill and Carol McGann

Part# 9781598581805/Z

The front cover

The back cover

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The Story of the Tour de France: How a Newspaper Promotion Became the Greatest Sporting Event in the World - Volume 2: 1965-2007. New paperback, $19.95/each

By Bill and Carol McGann

Part# 159858608541995/Z

The front cover, with Eddy Merckx in yellow, of course.

The back cover.

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Tour de France: The Illustrated History, by Marguerite Lazell. New paperback, $29.95/each

Part# 9781552977361

Published May, 2003.

The biggest bicycle race of all time started as a publicity stunt for a cycling magazine in 1903. Every year since, almost one billion people follow the Tour de France, making it the third most popular sporting event after the Olympics and the World Cup. Often described as the equivalent of running twenty marathons in twenty days, the Tour's popularity in the United States has exploded, thanks largely to the performance of the American cyclist Lance Armstrong, who won his fourth consecutive Tour de France in 2002.

Tour de France: The Illustrated History is packed with vivid, action-filled photographs and covers every aspect of the race, including:

• The organizers
• Technical advances
• The scandals.
• Cycling superstars Greg Lemond, Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Indurain, and Lance Armstrong are featured.

Author Marguerite Lazell writes for Cycling Weekly and Cycle Sport magazines. She has covered four Tours de France, the Olympics, and numerous World Championship and World Cup events.

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Ascent - The Mountains of the Tour de France, by Richard Yates. New hardcover, $39.99/each

Part# 9781892495525

The mountain stages are where the real battles of the Tour de France are won and lost. Besides, the mountains make the most dramatic backdrops for those battles. This book takes a look at the long history of mountain stages in the Tour and the important role they've played in the careers of the eventual Tour winners. The book is illustrated with 130 historic photographs printed in duotone.

Front cover

Back cover

Info on the book's inside front flap

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Maillot Jaune: The Tour de France Yellow Jersey, by Jean-Paul Ollivier. New hardback, $39.99/each

Part# 99507

At the end of each day of the Tour de France, the race leader is presented with a yellow racing jersey: the prestigious Maillot Jaune. This treasured emblem has been worn by 227 cyclists in the past 82 years. Some of them led the race just for a day, while others -- including current champion Lance Armstrong -- have defended the race lead day after day.

In this colorful coffee-table book, French historian Jean-Paul Ollivier offers a dramatic mix of anecdote and history beginning with Eugene Christophe, the jersey's first recipient in 1919. (Yellow was used because it was the color of the sports newspaper, L'Auto, that sponsored the race.) Ollivier features the one-timers and the recurring champs, from legends like Italy's Gino Bartali to the first American in yellow, Greg LeMond. Included are gripping stories of riders who lost the jersey because of crashes, injury, or illness and a chart listing all the jersey's holders and the number of times they led the race.

Front cover. That should be 1951 Tour de France winner Hugo Koblet, who was famous for always having a comb ready after races so that he could look good for the photographers.

Back cover

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Alpe d'Huez - the Legend. New paperback, $24.99/each

Part# 9781931382373

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An Intimate Portrait of the Tour de France - Master and Slaves of the Road, by Philippe Brunel. New hardcover, $125.00/each

Part# 99502

Author Philippe Brunel wrote for L'Equipe, a daily French sport newspaper.

The front cover.

Back cover

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Blazing Saddles: The Cruel and Unusual History of the Tour de France, by Matt Rendell. New hardcover, $24.95/each

Part# 9781934030257

In this fascinating book, award-winning sports writer Matt Rendell covers every corner of La Grande Boucle, from the eccentric couture of the first Tour winner (white blazer, black trousers, wool socks) to the earliest method of cheating (riding the train). "Blazing Saddles" recounts the famous rivalries and riders that contested the Tour, setting the score straight with complete records of every podium finisher. Rendell's vivid storytelling is complemented with more than 100 classic black-and-white photographs, portraying cycling's heroes and martyrs from Jacques Anquetil to Lance Armstrong.

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Info on the inside front cover flap.

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Yellow Fever: The Dark Heart of the Tour de France, by Jeremy Whittle. New paperback, $35.00/each

Part# 978074260257

In the summer of 1998, the Tour de France's bubble burst in the most dramatic way. It was an extraordinary race, not only because of the doping accusations that dogged it from Dublin to Paris but also because of the shimmering virtuosity of charismatic Italian climber Marco Pantani and the formidable defense of outgoing champion Jan Ullrich. Out on the road, every tense day became a lifetime as sport and scandal fused. Each thrilling moment from eventual champion Pantani was matched by brutal and shocking revelations of drug abuse from zealous French authorities. A fixture in French culture since 1903 and undoubtedly the world's most famous race, the Tour de France became an unwelcome stranger in its own land.

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Tourmen: The Men Who Made the Tour de France, by Les Woodland. New paperback, $16.95/each

Part# 9780984311729

The Tour de France is the greatest bike race in the world, but it began as a humble promotional gimmick for a floundering newspaper. More than 100 years later the Tour still captivates the world and is broadcast to over 180 countries. How did a few men looking for some way to save their struggling business become masters of a giant, successful enterprise?

To learn the answer Les Woodland examines the race through the prism of the men who started Tour de France, and those who now run it. As he explores the creation and evolution of the Tour, he never runs out of those fascinating illustrative tales that make his books impossible to put down.

Front cover, with Fausto Coppi followed by Jean Robic racing up L'Alpe d'Huez in the 1952 Tour de France.

Back cover.

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Tour de France: Three Weeks to Glory, by Samuel Abt. New paperback, $19.95/each

Part# 9780933201392

192 pages

Traces the history of the Tour de France, profiles racers, mechanics, officials, and observers, and highlights memorable events in past races

Follow Samuel Abt on a three week odyssey that takes the riders some 3,000 miles around France, meet the riders and their team managers and hear some of the most heartbreaking stories of victory and defeat.

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Tour de France/Tour de Force, by James Startt, introduction by Greg LeMond, preface by Samuel Abt. New hardcover, $75.00/each

Part# 99506

158 pages

For three weeks each July, millions of fans from around the world descend upon the French countryside to cheer on the "forcats de la route," or slaves of the road—the riders competing in the Tour de France. The event has captivated people for nearly a century who gather to witness the strength of the human spirit in its struggle to endure and overcome incredible obstacles to rise to the ranks of heroism.

Covering over 2000 miles in 21 days, the cyclists make a grand circuit of the country, crossing over both the Alps and the Pyrenees mountains before racing to the finish line along the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Now almost one hundred years old, the legendary bicycle race has a rich and colorful past. Tour de France/Tour de Force offers a one-of-a-kind look back at the Tours history and its heroes.

Arranged chronologically and illustrated with hundreds of wonderfully evocative photographs dating back to the Tours beginning in 1903, it documents the great victories and the harrowing disasters, the glory and the agony of this amazing competition. From the astounding stories of early cyclists who looped around France on rudimentary two-wheelers to contemporary chapters emphasizing the tactics and winning moves employed in recent races, the drama of the Tour comes to life in these pages.

Featuring race results from 1903 all the way through to 1999, plus an introduction by three-time Tour winner Greg LeMond, and special sections on the evolution of the Tour de France bike and the controversial issue of performance-enhancing drugs, Tour de France/Tour de Force is the consummate guide to this truly extraordinary event in the world of sport.

Front cover

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Book info on the inside front cover flap

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Tour Fever - The Armchair Cyclist's Guide to the Tour de France, by J. P.Partland. New paperback, $14.95/each

Part# 9780399532559

224 pages

A comprehensive overview of the world's premier cycling race looks at the varied stages of the race, from time trials to mountain climbs, along with the characteristics of a racer, the meaning of the various jerseys, team strategies and roles, scoring, and profiles of some of the world's leading contenders.

Front cover

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Inside Cycling 1987 Tour de France Guide. $50.00/each

Part# 99406

The cover

Publisher's letter inside the guide.

A blast from the past, a full-page ad for Avocet cyclometers

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The 2001 Tour de France: Lance X3, by John Wilcockson and others. New hardcover, $24.95/each

Part# 9781931382014

The world's most famous bicycle competition, the Tour de France is a grueling three-week-long race through some of France's most beautiful and extreme terrain. John Wilcockson, cycling's premier journalist, covers the course and the contestants, adding behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insights.

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Tour de France 2002: The Official Guide, by Jacques Augendre. New hardcover, $29.99/each

Part# 9781931382113

120 pages, 9.08 x 0.61 x 11.52 inches

Sixty full-color photos bring immediacy to the renowned cycling odyssey that crosses through some of France's most beautiful - and most harrowing - terrain. Author Jacques Augendre encapsulates each stage of the three-week tour with behind-the-scenes anecdotes, statistical information, and graphic representations in this definitive guide accessible to all sports enthusiasts.

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The 2003 Tour de France, 100th Anniversary Tour. New hardcover, $29.95/each

By John Wilcockson

Part# 9781931382267

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The 2004 Tour de France - Armstrong Rewrites History, By Andrew Hood. New hardcover, $24.95/each

Part# 9781931382472

Front cover

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'05 Official Tour de France Guide, Paperback. New, $15.00/each

Part# 0912845410

Produced by VeloNews.

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The 2005 Tour de France: Armstrong's Farewell, by John Wilcockson & Andrew Hood. New hardcover, $24.95/each

Part# 9781931382687

The Tour de France's mix of superstars like Lance Armstrong, and white-knuckle cycling through some of Europe's most beautiful - and extreme - terrain has made the race for the yellow jersey a seminal event in world sports. In this popular annual guide, John Wilcockson and Andrew Hood of VeloNews, in collaboration with expert photographers, captures the grit and glory of the three-week race, including what makes 2005 unique: Armstrong's attempt at a record-breaking seventh consecutive win.

The book begins with follow-up coverage from last year's race to bring readers up to date. An overview of the course, the race, and the contestants is followed by a stage-by-stage, race-by-race account of the Tour, including a course map with stage elevations, race descriptions, anecdotes, and a complete list of finishers. Dramatic color images by renowned cycling photographer Graham Watson and others bring this exciting event to life from start to finish.

Front Cover

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Tour de France Companion 2005, by Bob Roll & Dan Koeppel. New paperback, $10.95/each

Part# 9780761137986

We have two in stock.

The 2004 Tour de France Companion had a successful sale of over 50,000 copies. Now comes the second annual, poised as the essential guide for the millions of newer American fans who got swept up in Armstrong’s history-making 2004 ride, and discovered something that much of the sports community already knew: the Tour de France is arguably the world’s greatest sporting event, pushing 150 athletes to the edge of human endurance.

So what will happen in 2005? Can Lance possibly win a seventh? Will Tyler Hamilton avoid a cycling ban? What about the new kids, Thomas Voeckler and Vladimir Karpets? Written for the novice fan but with enough sophistication and insider’s knowledge to be an essential companion for the aficionado, The Tour de France Companion for 2005 is a fully illustrated pocket primer that covers the 2005 route, the teams and their prospects, strategies, ground rules, history, personalities, techniques, and technology.

It’s all here: the colored jerseys explained; how teams work together; pulls, lead-outs, the peloton, and breakaways; the curious honor of finishing last. It delves into what it takes to be a racer, how to recover from burning 5,000–9,000 calories a day, and the ever-present issue of drug use. With vital information for 2005, and new sections, including an expanded “Visit the Tour” chapter for the ever-increasing numbers of travelers, and more on bikes and technology.

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