This official history celebrates an incredible century of cycling, from the early flickering images of the 1903 winner, Maurice Garin, to the amazing scenes which greeted Lance Armstrong's fifth straight victory in 2003.
As well as the triumphs we also explore the tragedies and controversies associated with the Tour, amongst them the death of two-time winner Octavia Bottachia, reputedly murdered by fascists, the death of Tommy Simpson on the Ventoux in 1967 and Fabio Casartelli's death in 1995.
The early years of the Tour are full of heroics and all the protagonists are featured from Lucien Petit Breton and Philippe Thijs, to Rene Vietto and Antonin Magne. After WW2 came the Italian revolution with the emergence of Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi, one of the greatest of them all. However, the Golden Age of the 50s saw the return of the French champions in Bobet, Walkowiak and Gaul as well as the inaugural win of Jacques Anquetil in 1957 who went on to complete the first ever five-timer. His battles with Raymond Poulidor are still talked about to this day.
And then came Eddy Merckx, unquestionably the finest of them all, who trounced the opposition in his five victories. Merckx was followed by Luis Ocana, Bernard Thevenet and Lucien Van Impe before the next five-time winner emerged in Bernard Hinault, followed swiftly by Spanish legend Miguel Indurain who dominated the early 1990s with his five consecutive victories from 1991.
Other individual highlights featured include Stephen Roche's epic 1987 victory and the amazing 1989 success of Greg Lemond over two-time winner Laurent Fignon by a mere eight seconds. The programme finishes with an extended profile of the phenomenal Lance Armstrong, who has overcome cancer to stand on the brink of becoming the first ever six-time winner of the Tour de France.
