Description:
When the Tour de France was first held, it was only six stages long. Each of those stages, however, was a grueling ultramarathon averaging 400 kilometers for a total Tour length of 2,400 kilometers. The largest margin of victory in the history of the Tour--2 hours, 48 minutes--comes from this race. From 1903 to 1999, Tour de France/Tour de Force covers the history of the world's greatest cycling race in words and pictures. All the great riders are profiled: Lucien Petit-Breton, "King" Rene Vietto (who never won), Eddy "the Cannibal" Merckx, Bernard "the Badger" Hinault, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, and of course, Lance Armstrong. Tour de Force also traces the event's evolution; for example, Pyrenees climbs were added in 1910, ensuring that versatile riders would come to dominate. Author James Startt shares stories of ingenuity (when Francois Faber's chain broke in the last kilometer of the 1909 Tour, he simply ran his bike across the finish line), tragedy (Tom Simpson collapsing and dying on the climb up Mont Ventoux in 1967), and triumph (Lance Armstrong's 1999 Tour victory). Lavishly illustrated, Tour de France/Tour de Force is essential reading for cyclists and cycling fans alike. --M. Stein
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