|
|
|
The Unknown Tour de France
The Many Faces of the World's Greatest Bicycle
Race
by Les Woodland
|
|
|
| Format: |
8˝ x 11 inch hardcover |
|
Description: |
160 pages with
150 duotone photographs |
| ISBN: |
978-1-892495-63-1 |
| Price: |
US$39.95 |
|
Click
here to order from
Amazon.com |
- In search of a
forgotten hero, the Tour's
first winner
- The first
long-distance race,
Paris–Rouen
- The origins of the
Tour and the man
responsible
- Foul play in the Tour,
now and then
- The Yellow Jersey that
dropped into the ravine
- Tour directors and the
way they run their show
|
|
|
A fascinating
look behind the scenes—and in the
history archives—of the Tour de
France |
Award
The Unknown
Tour de France was awarded the
first place prize in the category
"Image-Driven Books" by Bookbuilders
West, the Western States publishing
association, at its annual book
show, October 2009. Visit
http://www.bookbuilders.org to
read more about the book show and
the awards.
About the Book
After more than 100 years now, the Tour
de France is still the sport’s
premier event. But there’s much more
to the Tour than the daily stage
victories and the Yellow Jersey.
This new edition of the book takes a closer look behind
the scenes of the Tour. Les Woodland
recounts many of the fascinating
episodes from the Tour’s past and
present in a knowledgeable and
humorous style. The book is greatly
enhance by the more than 150
beautifully reproduced period
photographs in duotone.
The Unknown Tour de France makes
fascinating reading for everyone
interested in the sport. You’ll find
out about the great champions of the
early days, and those of the present
time You’ll find out about the men
who started and promoted this great
venture. Find out about "the foreign
legion," the few early
English-speaking riders who paved
the way for such men as Greg LeMond,
Lance Armstrong, and others.
About the Author
Les Woodland has been writing
about bicycle racing for over 30
years. He was European correspondent
for Velo News in the early
days of that publication. Today, his
writings still regularly appear in
English and American cycling
periodicals. An avid cyclist
himself, he recently moved to
France, which he considers the
world’s best place for cycling.
He is also the author of another
book published by us:
The Crooked Path to Victory.
What the Critics Say
Lance Armstrong captured
the imagination of people around
the globe by winning the Tour de
France in 1999. Armstrong's
strength of human spirit is
precisely why millions of fans
watch the race each July.
Considering that the riders cover
2000 miles in 21 days, traveling
through all kinds of terrain and
weather, the Tour is arguably the
toughest, most demanding bicycle
road race in the world.
In The
Unknown Tour de France, veteran
cycling reporter Woodland
describes the event from a
behind-the-scenes perspective.
Woodland's book is a credible
history, making good use of
anecdote to detail how the Tour
has changed since 1903. Moreover,
the author chronicles the many
colorful people involved and the
drug scandals that continue to
tarnish the competition.
Library Journal,
Larry R. Little Penticton P.L., BC
Copyright 2000 Cahners Business
Information.
Table of Contents
|
1. |
The Forgotten Hero
|
14. |
Ici On Parle
Anglais |
|
2. |
The First
(Very Curious) Race |
15. |
Look at Their
Bikes |
|
3. |
Enter Henri, the
Magnificently Crazy |
16. |
The Emperor and the
Cannibal |
|
4. |
The First Tour |
17. |
Counting the Beans |
|
5. |
Into the Mountains |
18. |
Stars in Stripes |
|
6. |
Misery in the Valley |
19. |
News from Chambéry |
|
7. |
Dubious Cases |
20. |
Blood on the Tracks |
|
8. |
… And Cheats |
21. |
A Day in the Life |
|
9. |
Teams and Donkeys |
22. |
The End of the Beginning |
|
10. |
Yellow Peril |
23. |
A Day at the Races |
|
11. |
Caravan Crossing |
|
Appendix 1: 100 Things You
Didn’t Know About the Tour |
|
12. |
The Glory Years |
|
Appendix 2: English-Speakers
in the Tour |
|
13. |
The Summer of ’64 |
|
Index |
|
|
|
|
|
|
From the contents |
Reports from the first Tour, 1903.
|
Three infamous brothers at the Tour:
Charles, Francis, and Jean Pellisier.
|
Before derailleurs, the riders could
only change gear by reversing their rear wheels, which
had a high gear on one side, and a low gear on the
other.
|
|
