"Isn't that supposed to be jersey?" my Dad asked. "Exactly" I said and that's the beauty of this book. My Dad doesn't follow cycling and 99% of what he knows about it he's learnt through osmosis from when I lived at home. This book is the perfect introduction to the modern day Tour for those who are less than knowledgeable about the whole cycling world. While other books have covered the whole history of the tour such as the excellent Blazing Saddles this concentrates on the tour since it began in Ned Boulting's world. Ned was thrown in at the deep in 2003, sent to cover the Tour de France having never seen a bike race before. It covers the characters in the race since then with a (much appreciated) British bias.
While it may sound like Tour de France for the beginner it actually gives the avid follower a real insight in to the tour from the media's point of view, often with a humorous outcome. Anyone who's watched ITV4 's coverage of the tour (or channel 4's before that) will be interested as he gives insights in to the whole cast, as he calls it, including legendary commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.
I would heartedly recommend this as a light hearted read for anyone in to the tour but more importantly to anyone thinking they'd like to know more about the tour - this is the place to start. It was excellent.
How I Won The Yellow Jersey - Ned Boutling
