The Story of the Tour De France (Paperback)

by Carol McGann Bill Mcgann (Author)
Key Phrases: national team format, first alpine stage, individual time trial, Tour de France, Antonin Magne, Charly Gaul (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"After forty years of study on the subject, I can with some confidence say Bill and Carol McGann’s The Story of the Tour de France is the finest such work ever produced in the English language, and perhaps in any."
-From the preface by Owen Mulholland, author of Uphill Battle

"Besides towering over all bicycle races, the Tour de France endures for its unique Gaulic character, like Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. The McGann's passionate and insightful writing evokes the raucous cast of riders, promoters, and journalists thrusting through highs and lows worthy of opera. This volume stands out as a must-read book for anyone seeking to appreciate cycling's race of races."
-Peter Joffre Nye, author of The Six-Day Bicycle Races: America's Jazz Age Sport and Hearts of Lions

"There are LOTS of books on the Tour de France. An increasing number of them are actually written in English. However, of those, none educates Americans about this grand spectacle’s rich past. The Tour de France has a history as fascinating and sordid as Rome’s and it is high time someone undertook to explain this to our American sensibility. Our guide for the trip is a man with a ravenous appetite for both world history and bicycle racing, just the sort of person to paint a Tour champion with the dramatic grandiosity befitting Hannibal himself."
-Pat Brady, Editor, Asphalt Magazine

At the dawn of the 20th Century, French newspapers used bicycle races as promotions to build readership. Until 1903 these were one-day events. Looking to deliver a coup de grace in a vicious circulation war, Henri Desgrange—editor of the Parisian sports magazine L’Auto—took the suggestion of one of his writers to organize a race that would last several days longer than anything else, like the 6-day races on the track, but on the road.

That’s exactly what happened. For almost 3 weeks the riders in the first Tour de France rode over dirt roads and cobblestones in a grand circumnavigation of France. The race was an electrifying success. Held annually (suspended only during the 2 World Wars), the Tour grew longer and more complex with an ever-changing set of rules, as Desgrange kept tinkering with the Tour, looking for the perfect formula for his race.

Each year a new cast of riders would assemble to contest what has now become the greatest sporting event in the world.

About the Author
Bill and Carol McGann have had their lives inextricably tied up with bicycles about as long as they can remember. Their first date was a bike ride. Bill, formerly a Category 1 racer, has been a contributor to several cycling magazines and is widely acknowledged as an expert on road bikes and cycling history. Since his father gave him a small 1-speed English lightweight bicycle when he was 5 years old, Bill has been in love with everything about bikes. Carol, a former college biology instructor is also an accomplished rider, having cycle-toured extensively. Together they started Torelli Imports in 1981, a firm specializing in high-performance cycle equipment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598581805
• ISBN-13: 978-1598581805
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,903 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #50 in	Books > Sports > Miscellaneous > History of Sports
  #66 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling
  #95 in	Books > History > Europe > France

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BILL AND CAROL'S LABOUR OF LOVE, August 6, 2006

By	John White - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As soon as I began reading this book on the website I was hooked; as hooked as we all were watching Stephen Roche catch up with Pedro Delgado at the top of La Plagne in stage 21 of the 1987 Tour or Greg LeMond's 8 second Tour victory over Laurent Fignon on the Champs-Elyses in 1989. These Tour memories are but two of many contained within this wonderful read. As I skimmed through the book, page by page, I knew I just had to have it and so I bought it. The book is an absolute treasure chest of all you ever needed to know about the most gruelling, and yet with it the most captivating, bike race in the world. It is such a joy to read because Bill and Carol have obviously completed what must have been a labour of love for them. And if the writing, which is superb, is not worth the purchase price alone then the photographs are breathtaking. I only hope my forthcoming "Tour de France Miscellany" (Carlton Publishing) is as good as "The Story of the Tour de France".
John White, Author of the "Tour de France Quiz Book" with a Foreword by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen (Apex Publishing Limited, Ł8.99).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just another Tour de France book, February 6, 2008

By	Michael E. Jacoubowsky "Mike Jacoubowsky" (Redwood City, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'll admit this right up front. I'm a big-time fan of the Tour de France, and pre-disposed to liking this book. But this is a GREAT book anyway. Bill knows his subject, and writes as if he's the one newspaper reporter covering the race who really does have the inside scoop on what's going on. He lays out each year's race chronologically, taking no shortcuts, and always leaving you with that desire to know what happens next. You can put it down between years, but I dare you to find a stopping point within the chapter of each race!

This is not a coffee-table book with great photos, nor is it a first-person journey like Paul Kimmage's excellent "Rough Ride." Rather, it's a compelling re-telling of the race itself, seen with the clarity and knowledge that comes from exceptional research, in a style more similar to Sports Illustrated than a history book. Can't wait for Volume II covering 1965-on.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History placed in context, drenched in rich detail..., January 26, 2008

By	Paul Scarpelli "Rocco Vaselino" (Ivins, UT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Story of the Tour de France, Volume 1, is not only the finest documentary of the world's greatest sporting event, it genuinely places each moment of the Tour, from inception through 1964, within the political, social, and historical context of the time. This intelligently-written book gives the reader a focused sense of what things were like at the creation of the race, and how it changed through the years, right up to the dawn of modern bicycle racing. Bill and Carol craft narratives of the races that are crystaline, and they capture the pivotal moments of each race, always conveying the urgency and excitement. Nowhere have I seen these great races described in such interesting and captivating detail. The reader is placed back in time, observing these great riders almost as if they are there. More than just a series of race synopses, the book delves into the riding styles, personality traits, weaknesses, and foibles of many of the riders, giving a truly 3-dimensional picture of the races and racers. And when words cannot describe the torture of these early races, there are many photographs showing riders toiling over mountain passes on unpaved roads.

Many road biking enthusiasts may have heard the names Coppi, Anquetil, Leducq, and others, but they have never had them described so vividly. I know of no other book that provides imagery of the Tour de France as this book does. In that respect, it is singular and unique, and if it weren't so well wordsmithed, it would still win by default. If you ride a bicycle; if you have watched the Tour de France on television; or if you have an interest in the most grueling sporting event in the world, you must read this book. I can't wait for Volume 2.

Very highly recommended.