A Race for Madmen by Chris Sidwells

A Race for Madmen by Chris Sidwells

No sporting event has had its past and present, its highs and lows so intricately entwined with those of a country like the Tour has with France. The Tour de France is the biggest annual sporting event in the world, and at the same time it transcends sport. The Tour de France comes to the people. It passes their houses, it turns right in their village squares, it thunders through their suburban streets and into the hearts of their towns and cities. It is a unique event in that people don't so much go to see the Tour, as it comes to see them. A Race for Madmen traces how the Tour de France has developed and examines tactics, bike technology and rider preparation too. It profiles some of the men who have won the Tour de France, and others who have been key players, looking closely at their lives and motivation. Subsidiary competitions, such as the King of the Mountains prize, are featured, as well as Tour lore and traditions. The book examines the Tour's extraordinary history, and how a bike race, a simple sporting contest captured the imagination of a country, then a continent and then the world, while at the same time it has stayed uniquely French, even though a Frenchman hasn't won it for over 20 years.

• ‘An intriguing read for almost any reader, not only those who are interested in cycling’
  Tuam Herald
• ‘[An] engaging and accessible account of the race’s history.’
  Sunday Business Post

Chris Sidwells is a bestselling author, journalist, photographer and broadcaster; a writer of books, magazine and newspaper features on every aspect of cycling and fitness.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780007511006
ISBN 10	0007511000
Title	A Race for Madmen
Author	Chris Sidwells
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers
Year published	2013-05-23
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.