Rupert Guinness provides a compelling history of the Tour de France, paying special attention to the Australian cyclists who are now a force to be reckoned with on the European cycling circuit.

The early years of the Tour de France were wobbly, to say the least. In 1904, the race's second year, cyclists were disqualified for jumping on trains to shorten the event. So rampant was the cheating that Henri Desgrange, the race's founder, declared it 'dead' before it had even begun.

Eighty-nine editions later, the Tour has become one of the world's greatest sporting spectacles, bringing 20 million people to the roadsides of Europe to watch extraordinary feats of grit and endurance.

From the early days when Don Kirkham and Snowy Munro rode the Tour in 1914 on bikes without lights or gears, to Robbie McEwen's spectacular win of the green jersey in 2002, Aussie Aussie Aussie Oui Oui Oui is packed with the drama and passion that makes the Tour de France so addictive.
Softcover; 210 pages; 230mm x 155mm; Colour Photography; Guinness, Rupert