Froome, Wiggins, Mercks—we know the winners of the Tour de France, but Lanterne Rouge tells the forgotten, often inspirational and occasionally absurd stories of the last-placed rider. We learn of stage winners and former yellow jerseys who tasted life at the other end of the bunch; the breakaway leader who stopped for a bottle of wine and then took a wrong turn; the doper whose drug cocktail accidentally slowed him down and the rider who was recognized as the most combative despite finish...

Written with verve and enthusiasm, A Higher Calling explores why mountains have such a magnetic appeal to cyclists the world over. Max Leonard, himself an accomplished amateur cyclist, does not forget the pain, the glory, the sweat, and the tears that go into these grueling climbs. Many books tell you where the mountains are, or how long and how high. None of them ask why.“This is real cycling, where the glory is and where dreams come true,” according to Bradley Wiggins. Mountains are wher...

A lively and entertaining history of the riders who have come in last place during the grueling 3,000-mile Tour de FranceFroome, Wiggins, Merckx―we know the winners of the Tour de France, but Lanterne Rouge tells the forgotten, often inspirational, and occasionally absurd stories of the last-placed rider. We learn of stage winners and former yellow jerseys who tasted life at the other end of the bunch, the breakaway leader who stopped for a bottle of wine and then took a w...

Trading on the sterling reputation that enabled him to survive a widely publicized doping confession, American cyclist “Big George” Hincapie—a record seventeen-time Tour de France participant, Olympian, and key witness in the Lance Armstrong doping case—offers an insightful account of his esteemed career and a sports era defined by performance-enhancing drug use.In this highly anticipated cycling memoir, Big George Hincapie provides the most comprehensive account of a dark period i...

Before Bradley Wiggins, there was Sean Yates. Behind Bradley Wiggins, there was Sean Yates.One of only five Britons to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, Sean Yates burst onto the cycling scene as the rawest pure talent this country has ever seen. After turning professional at the age of 22, he soon became known as a die-hard domestique, putting his body on the line for his teammates. Devastatingly fast, powerful and a fearless competitor, Yates won a stage of t...

From small beginnings to doping scandals: a history of the Tour de France as reported by the Guardian and Observer.Having started in 1903 as a publicity stunt for an ailing French newspaper, the Tour de France is now the world's greatest sporting spectacle. Back then, cyclists raced alone through the night, sometimes at the risk of being beaten up. Today's riders pedal 3,500 km around the French countryside, cheered on by huge roadside crowds and accompanied by the mighty caravan of media,...

**#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “mercilessly entertaining” (Vanity Fair) instant classic “about the nature of identity and the terrible secrets that can survive and thrive in even the most intimate relationships” (Lev Grossman, Time “One of the Best Books of the Decade”)—now featuring never-before-published deleted scenesTHE NEW YORK TIMES’S BEST THRILLER OF THE CENTURY • ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ...

In 1999, Conrad Anker found the body of George Mallory on Mount Everest, casting an entirely new light on the mystery of the lost explorer.On 8 June 1924, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine were last seen climbing towards the summit of Everest. The clouds closed around them and they were lost to history, leaving the world to wonder whether or not they actually reached the summit - some 29 years before Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay.On 1 May 1999, Conrad Anker...

With over 15,000 copies sold, Cycling the Kettle Valley has proven to be a remarkable resource for anyone interested in the stunning abandoned railbed located in the southern interior of British Columbia. One of the premier rail trails in North America, it contains spectacular sections through impressive canyons requiring tunnels and trestles to carry the railbed through rock ridges and across mountain streams. Growing public interest in conservation of the railbed and its structu...

‘It had been so amazingly hot that I felt myself about to dissolve into a kind of crème brûlée on the road, so I bought some super-power Number 8 suncream. This had the word ‘Bronzante’ on it, and must have contained some dye or other chemical because my knees stayed brown until February.’Fed up with questions about what he was going to do when he retired, Edward decided to get on his bicycle and ride from Le Havre to the Mediterranean. Armed with a tent and a smattering of French, ...

The first detailed account of the Festina affair, which ripped apart the 1998 Tour de France and irrevocably changed cycling.The Tour de France is always one of the sporting calendar's most spectacular and dramatic events. But the 1998 Tour provided drama like no other. As the opening stages in Ireland unfolded, the Festina team's soigneur Willy Voet was arrested on the French–Belgian border with a car-load of drugs. Raid after police raid followed, with arrest aft...

• Approximately 35 new techniques, safety considerations, and subjects• National Outdoor Book Award winner in first edition• First edition of this popular title has sold 50,000 copiesThousands of rock climbers have learned the sport using Craig Luebben’s seminal and bestselling text, Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills. Now Craig’s friend and fellow climber Topher Donahue brings the content up to current standards and includes technological advances, while preservin...