The Grand Loop

For over 120 years, the Tour de France has been more than a bike race - it has been a living epic of human endurance, national pride, heartbreak, and triumph. The Grand Loop brings this astonishing story to life in vivid, flowing narrative, from its scrappy beginnings as a publicity stunt to its current status as the world’s most-watched annual sporting event.Follow the heroes, villains, and underdogs who built the Tour’s legend: Maurice Garin, Octave Lapize, Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard - and the many others whose victories and defeats have shaped cycling’s greatest saga. Witness the rise of women’s racing, the evolution of the machine from steel beasts to carbon rockets, and the cultural empire the Tour has become.Capturing every era’s drama, scandal, and spirit, The Grand Loop is an irresistible journey through dust-choked mountain passes, sprinting finishes, audacious solo attacks, and moments of pure, unforgettable glory.Whether you are a lifelong fan or discovering the Tour for the first time, this book is a celebration of why, against all odds, the magic of the Tour de France endures.