An Intimate Portrait of the Tour de France: Masters and Slaves of the Road

by Philippe Brunel

We thought we knew everything about the Tour and its apostles; the racers, organizers, sporting directors and reporters. We never saw these champions as they appear candidly stripped down in broad daylight, their bodies being loosened by a masseur's hands, avowed enemies sharing a bath, letting themselves go at last. We see them living in the poignant glow of the stages' evenings, as if through a two-way mirror. They show themselves rid of their star status, as simple family men, just regular guys. They are ordinary, sublime and at times pathetic all at once. These photographs, snatched from oblivion, show an intimate and unknown Tour de France. This then, is the Tour of lost moments.

Genres: Cycling, Photography

156 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Né en 1956, Philippe Brunel est journaliste. Il est l’auteur, entre autres, de Vie et mort de Marco Pantani (Grasset, 2009), remarqué en France, best-seller en Italie ; de La Nuit de San Remo (Grasset, 2012), de Rouler plus vite que la mort (Grasset, 2018) et Laura Antonelli n’existe plus (Grasset, 2021).

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful prosaic text and photographs to match reveals the lost world of professional cycle racing. I return to this book time and again.