French Cycling

In this beautifully illustrated guide to travelling across France by bike you will discover hidden lanes, stunning gorges, amazing places to eat and stay, plus the best of French cycling culture.

French Cycling: a Social and Cultural History aims to provide a balanced and detailed analytical survey of the complex leisure activity, sport, and industry that is cycling in France. Identifying key events, practices, stakeholders and institutions in the history of French cycling, the volumepresents an interdisciplinary analysis of how cycling has been significant in French society and culture since the late Nineteenth century. Cycling as Leisure is considered through reference to the adoption of the bicycle as an instrument of tourism and emancipation by women in the 1880s, forexample, or by study of the development in the 1990s of long-distance tourist cycle routes. Cycling as Sport and its attendant dimensions of amateurism/professionalism, national identity, the body and doping, and other issues is investigated through study of the history of the Tour de France, the track-racing organised at the Velodrome d'hiver in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s and otheremblematic events. Cycling as Industry and economic activity is considered through an assessment of how cycling firms have contributed to technological innovation at various junctures in France's economic development. Cycling and the Media is investigated through analysis of how cyclesport hascontributed to developments in the French press (in early decades) but also to new trends in television and radio coverage of sports events. Based on a very wide range of primary and secondary sources, the volume aims to present in clear language an explanation of the varied significance of cyclingin France over the last hundred years.

A guide to the leisure cycle routes south of the Loire Valley in France. It includes traffic-free routes and signed touring routes with a factfile and a text description of what to see along the way.

Self-confessed loafer Time Moore, seduced by the speed and glamour of the biggest annual sporting even in the world, sets out to cycle the course of the Tour de France. All 3,630km of it. Racing old men on butchers' bikes and chased by cows, Moore soon resorts to standard race tactics - cheating and drugs - in a hilarious and moving tale of true adventure.

Bernard Hinault is one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He is a five-time winner of the Tour de France and the only man to have won each of the Grand Tours on more than one occasion. Hinault is the last ‘old-school’ champion: a larger-than-life character from a working-class background, capable of winning on all terrains, in major Tours and one-day Classics. Nicknamed the ‘Badger’ for his combative style, he led a cyclists’ strike in his first Tour and instigated a legendary punch-up with demonstrators in 1982 while in the middle of a race. His battles with teammates Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond in the 1986 Tour resulted in one of the greatest races of all time. Three decades on from his retirement, Hinault remains the last French winner of the Tour de France. Here, William Fotheringham shows that while France may one day find a new champion, there will never be another Bernard Hinault.

Overzicht in woord en beeld van de geschiedenis van de racefiets.

A bicycling adventure from Le Havre to the Mediterranean Fed up with questions about what he was going to do when he retired, Edward decided to get on his bicycle and ride from the Le Havre region in northwestern France to the Mediterranean. He struggled in Normandy to get directions from old men tipsy on Calvados by 9 a.m., passed by prairies of corn and acres of sunflowers, and hit his stride on the towpath of the Burgundy canal. He explored the mystery of what an "ouvrier" eats for lunch, and was barred from a swimming pool because his trunks were too decent. Through the Rh�ne and down to Provence and the Camargue, Enfield is witty and informative as always.

A narrative guide to the most scenic and inspiring cycling climbs in the French Alps. The Alps are a place of legend for cyclists, road racers, and enthusiasts alike. Home to one of the most demanding sections of the Tour de France, the mountains offer some of Europe’s most glorious cycling climbs through Geneva, Chamonix, Annecy, Chambe´ry, Grenoble, Le Bourg-d’Oisans, and Barcelonnette. In this comprehensive guide, Graeme Fife, author, teacher, and passionate cycling enthusiast, presents the greatest mountain routes of the Alps. Aided by Peter Drinkell’s beautiful color photography, Fife reveals each journey with historical snapshots, humorous observations, and stirring stories from cycling’s past, detailing the challenges of each climb and the key features to look out for along the way. A selection of photographs of the routes and stunning scenery is included in each chapter, and illustrated maps document the climbs of each region. Whether planning a weekend tour or an epic cycling adventure, this beautifully illustrated guide is essential reading for cyclists of all stripes.