21 Days To Glory The Official Team Sky Book Of The 2012 Tour De France

The official, illustrated, insider story of the 2012 Tour de France was won, from Team Sky. With stunning photos from Scott Mitchell and exclusive interviews with the main players this is a must-have for all cycling fans.

Geoffrey Wheatcroft's hugely entertaining and well researched history of the Tour de France is already established as the definitive account of cycling's greatest event. Since the book was last published in 2007, much has changed. Bradley Wiggins' historic victory in 2012 - the first Briton ever to secure the yellow jersey - brought him a knighthood and garnered more interest in the race than ever before. Yet the months after were dominated by an even bigger story, as Tour legend and seven-time winner Lance Armstrong was stripped of his titles and confessed on Oprah to doping in each of his victories. Suddenly, everything that we thought we knew had happened was no longer true. In this new and comprehensively revised edition of the book, Wheatcroft not only brings his story of the Tour fully up to date to mark the race's 100th running in 2013, he also reflects on the changes brought about by the scandals that have rocked the sport to its core. Yet for all the controversies of modern times, he vividly captures the essential glory and romance of the heroes who battle to conquer one of sport's greatest challenges.

A glorious, fully illustrated insider account from Team Sky of the greatest summer in British road cycling history, as team-mates Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome go head-to-head in the quest for glory

Cycling.

"I'm still trying to sort out my emotions after finishing this book. The ending was totally not what I expected. At first I was angry, but as I sat and thought about the book as a whole, I realized that it was an incredibly clever read. The ending had a significant impact on me, stressing me out. I experienced a wave of different emotions, each having a profound influence on my sleep. The next morning I was still going back and forth as to whether or not I actually liked the book. In fact, I went back and forth on my opinion for hours. In the end I thought Brooks did a wonderful job. Not many novels allow you to feel so many different emotions. I went from annoyance, to shock, to anger, and finally clarity about the situation. How many authors are able to bring out so many emotions from their readers?"-Goodreads Reviewer A one-of-kind thriller that takes place during the biggest annual cycling race-The Tour de France 21 Days of exhilarating action A covenant jersey being battled over by teammates A young man struggling with internal demons When Nick Carney is asked to ride the Tour de France in support of his teammate, and last year's winner, Jack Bomber, he never imagined he would be in the yellow jersey after the prologue. Now he has to contend with tension building within the team. Jack will do whatever is necessary to win, but at what cost to Nick. Each stage proves to be a battleground between the two men. The physical and mental toll to win the Tour is hard enough. When the competition comes from within your own team it's only a matter of time until the Team Director must make difficult choices-a side must be taken-there can only be one winner. Is Nick capable of keeping the yellow jersey until the final stage to become one of the youngest riders in history to win the Tour? Will Nick be able to overcome the dark thoughts that alter his perception of reality and threaten to ruin him? Who will end up with the final yellow jersey? The road to glory doesn't always lead to victory

On Sunday 22 July, Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider ever to win the Tour de France. It was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication and a vision begun with the creation of Team Sky. This is the inside story of that journey to greatness. Brailsford is the mastermind behind the phenomenal success of the British track cycling team which dominated the Beijing Olympics in 2008, winning seven gold medals. But road cycling is a very different ball game. It has the lion's share of the sport's history and legends; it has the bulk of the fans, television and media interest; and it has, far and away, the biggest pot of money. It is a sport that is rooted in mainland Europe - a land that is, in so many literal, metaphorical and cultural ways, foreign to Great Britain. British victories in the Tour can be counted on the fingers of a mitten. The closest anyone has ever come is Robert Millar and Bradley Wiggins, who were fourth in 1984 and 2009 respectively, but no Briton has seriously challenged for the maillot jaune - the yellow jersey of overall winner. Sky's the Limit follows the gestation and birth of a brand new road racing team, which is the first British team to compete in the Tour de France since 1987. Team Sky, as it is known, since it is to be backed by the satellite broadcaster Sky, set out on the road to Tour de France glory in January 2010. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access and interviews, Sky's the Limit will follow the management and riders as they embark on their journey - witnessing their first training camp and team presentation in December 2009, their debut at the Tour Down Under in January 2010, and their debut at the Tour de France in July 2010 - and as they then set out to write their 'epic story'.

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