Books

Sadly this post aged.... lots of much better books around now though the first couple stand the test of time and ofc it was the first one that started it all

Some books that have been of use. Also at the end some stuff about someone who rode the route last year.



THE TOUR DE FRANCE RIDING EXPERIENCE

French Revolutions - Tim Moore
The book that started it all. Relates how the author did pretty much as I did and rode the 2000 route prior to the race itself. Funny, honest and self deprecating it is a good read even for those who have little or no interest in cycling (like my wife...).

Riding High: Shadow Riding the Tour De France - Paul Howard
Just to prove that no matter how daft you are there is always someone dafter. Every year some nutters "shadow ride" the Tour de France, by, each day of the race itself, riding the route the tour will follow shortly after. They almost literally shadow ride as they need to start very early in the morning so as to be able to finish the course without being overtaken by the event itself, so one of the many problems they face is navigating in the dark. To try doing this you naturally have to be a pretty good cyclist as in many ways it is even harder than doing the real thing. Paul Howard's book recounts his tale of doing this in 2004 and is a good read, though more so for cyclists than others.