This official history of the Tour de France celebrates over 100 years of cycling's greatest race, from the early flickering images of the 1903 winner, Maurice Garin, right through to the third Tour victory of Alberto Contador in 2010. The early years of the Tour de France feature heroes of the stature of Lucien Petit-Breton, Rene Vietto and Antonin Magne, names that have since passed to legend. After WW2 came the Italian revolution with the emergence of Gino Bartali and, of course, Fausto Coppi. The Golden Age of the 50's saw the return of the French champions and the inaugural win of Jacques Anquetil in 1957, the man 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 Tour legend Eddy Merckx, 'The Cannibal' who trounced the opposition in his five victories before another five-time winner, Bernard Hinault, emerged, followed swiftly by Spanish great Miguel Indurain who dominated the early 1990's, recording five consecutive victories from 1991. 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. Other memorable highlights featured include the amazing 1989 success of Greg LeMond over two-time winner Laurent Fignon by a mere eight seconds, while Lance Armstrong stands out as the greatest of them all with a run of seven consecutive victories from 1999 after returning to the saddle after recovery from near-fatal cancer. 2007 saw the emergence of a new champion in the shape of Alberto Contador, who achieved a third Tour win in 2010 after seeing off the challenge of Andy Schleck, a victory that was not without controversy. Meanwhile, Isle of Mann's Mark Cavendish has established his place as one of the greatest sprinters to compete in the race after winning 15 stages over the past three years. Introduced by Sean Kelly and narrated by David Duffield this is a programme for all cycling fans to savour.
Exclusive interviews with Sean Kelly and David Duffield
Eddy Merckx extended profile
Highlights of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Tours including Lance Armstrong's record 6th and 7th Tour Victories
Disc 1:
This disc includes the following:
1. Introduction
2. The Italian Invasion
3. Anquetil and Poulidor
4. Tragedies of the Tour
5. The Greatest of All Time
6. Bernard Hinault
7. The Closest Finish
8. Miguel Indurain
9. Lance Armstrong
10. Sean Kelly's Goodbye
- Special Features
Disc 2:
This disc includes the following:
- 2007 Alberto Contador's First Victory
- 2008 Carlos Sastre Claims the Yellow Jersey
- 2009 The Return of Lance Armstrong
- 2010 Contador and Schleck Go Head - To Head
More like Le Tour De France: The Official History: 1903-2010
We use cookies to help you navigate our website and to keep track of our promotional efforts. Some cookies are necessary for the site to operate normally while others are optional. To find out what cookies we are using please visit Cookies Policy.