Twenty One Nights In July
A personal history of the Tour de France
Twenty-one classic stages from the history of the Tour de France.
Twenty-one simple truths gleaned from the greatest bicycle race in the world.
From Fausto Coppi's victory on Alpe d'Huez, to Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor's epic battle on the Puy de Dôme, from René Vietto's shameless weeping, to Greg LeMond soiling himself in his struggle with Bernard Hinault.
From the Italian whose victory prevented a revolution, to the British champion whose dying words were 'put me back on my bike', and the convicted doper who declared 'I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles'.
Part love letter to the humble bicycle, part history of the Tour de France, Twenty-One Nights in July reveals how cycling transcended mere sport to become a philosophy for the modern age.
Ianto Ware is the author of Twenty-One Nights in July: A Personal History of the Tour de France, and Mother and I: The History of a Willful Family, which was ‘Highly Commended’ by the 2022 National Biography Awards. He was also the author of the long-running zines Westside Angst and Das Papierkrieg. He lives in Sydney with his partner, the artist Diana Baker Smith, their son Ellis, and cats Judith and Adrienne
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