April 20, 2013

Blood, sweat and gears: the Tour de France – in pictures

A look at the lavish new book to coincide with the 100th edition of the the world's most famous bike race

Tour de France: REPRO UNE L'AUTO — L'Auto newspaper from the start of the first ever Tour de France Photograph: L'equipe/Offside

Tour de France: Henri Cornet — Henri Cornet of France with team owner J Comte in 1904 – at 19, he was the youngest-ever winner of the Tour Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: A night start — A night start for the 345km Grenoble-Nice stage of the 1909 Tour Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: Firmin Lambot — Young shepherds look on perplexed as Firmin Lambot takes to his feet on the goat track that doubles as the road over the Aubisque pass in the Pyrenees during the 1913 Tour Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: 1914 Tour — The top riders at the 1914 Tour all drank 'Koto wine containing Peruvian coca', according to an advertorial that appeared in L'Auto Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: Tour of 1928 — a photograph from the Tour of 1928, which was won by Nicolas Frantz of Luxembourg and his Alcyon-Dunlop team. This old lady was about to cross the street in her village when the peloton came streaming through Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: cyclists pass through a small town — As the cyclists pass through a small town on 3 July 1957 they are sprayed with water from a firehose to help cool off Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: Italian champion Fiorenzo Magni — Italian champion Fiorenzo Magni, who finished fourth, is grateful for a splash of cooling water in 1951 Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: REUNION CYCLISTE A EVREUX — Raymond Poulidor plays draughts with arch-rival Jacques Anquetil in a Paris Match picture that plays up the strategic rivalry between the two Photograph: Jean-Pierre Biot/REDACTION

Tour de France: Tour de France 1966 — Squeezed in between Julio Jimenez, Jacques Anquetil and some of their allies, Raymond Poulidor has let the third man on the Ford team, Lucien Aimar, slip away during the 1966 Tour Photograph: Rue des Archives/Suddeutsche Zeitung

Tour de France: Eddie Merckx — In 1969 Eddie Merckx sets off alone on a break that lasted 140km in the Pyrenees Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: Eddy Merckx — Wearing yellow, the great Belgian rider Eddy Merckx attacks in the 1975 race in his bid to become the first rider of his era to win the Tour six times. In the end he finished second behind Bernard Thévenet of France, sitting on his shoulder Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: 21/07/1975. TOUR DE FRANCE 1975 : ARRIVEE AUX CHAMPS NB 78405 416 — Eddie Merckx, wearing the rainbow jersey as world champion, joins the Michelin man on the podium in 1975 Photograph: Michel Ginfray/Gamma

Tour de France: Bernard ‘The Badger’ Hinault — Bernard ‘The Badger’ Hinault, one of the Tour greats, gathers breath after a time trial in 1979 Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: Miguel Indurain — The effort shows on Miguel Indurain's face as he's urged on towards yet another time trial victory by fans at the roadside in 1995 Photograph: Courtesy of Quercus

Tour de France: Lance Armstrong — Lance Armstrong's legend continued to grow as he completed a hat-trick of Tour victories in 2001. Armstong was stripped of all seven of his Tour titles in 2012 Photograph: Ph. Vitallier/STF

Tour de France: The Tour de France Official 100th Race Anniversary Edition — The Tour de France Official 100th Race Anniversary Edition Photograph: Quercus

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