Inside the Peloton: Riding, Winning & Losing the Tour de France

Racing cyclists all ride the same frail machine and all are equal before the demands of the road, but what is it that makes a winner? What special attributes do winners need to give them that extra edge? To find out, Fife analyses and illustrates the moral strength, intelligence, racing nous, cunning, tactical acumen, and superior mental resilience of the champion racing cyclist. Drawing on interviews and personal acquaintance with some of the best riders to have raced on the Continent, as well as mechanics and team-support crew, this is a portrait of the complex character of cycle racing. It is an in-depth study of ambition, the race to win, the capacity to recover from defeat, the harrowing misery of lost morale, and the hard initiation faced by every newcomer to the unforgiving demands of professional competition.