Our bookshelves are groaning with volumes devoted to the Tour de France, the world's preeminent cycling road race. But in 2019 a new book arrived to mark the centennial of the first awarding of the very symbol of the Tour: the Yellow Jersey.

Paul Kilbourne has sent through another great article to Ed Hood. Back in 1984 the women's peloton had an 18 stage Tour de France and young English girl, Louise Garbett finished in the white 'best young riders' jersey. Here is her story.

Book Review: As the 2021 Tour winds up the second week, Leslie Reissner takes a trip down Memory Lane and journeys the Tour de France routes of the past. Mapping le Tour by Ellis Bacon maps the journey taken from the first Tour to the 2014 Tour when the French race hit the roads of Yorkshire.

After Ed Hood's look at his home Scottish Tour riders, he has tuned his eye on to the Irish pros who tackled the race around France. The men from the Emerald Isle have been very successful with stage, overall and points wins.

Ed Hood has been following the Tour for many years and having one of his home Scottish riders in the Tour peloton added a certain sparkle. There have only been half a dozen Scots at a Tour Grand Départ, but all were champions.

Saturday is the big day for the 2021 Tour de France, but as always the peloton was introduced to the public on Thursday evening. The team's presentation was held in the Breton town of Brest, here is the full video and the best of the photos.

PEZ Grand Tour specialist, Ed Hood, will have to miss another French trip thanks to covid-19, but here is his '2021 Grand Boucle Preview'. Winners, history, course and what to look out for in the 'BIG ONE' starting Saturday.

The USA has had a checkered Tour history, high points with wins from Greg Lemond, and... Well, we know the depths, but who was the first man from the US to ride the Big One? Ed Hood spoke to Jonathan sometimes 'Jock' or 'Jacques' Boyer.

Author Peter Cossins describes in his history of that first 1903 Tour de France, the inelegantly titled “Butcher, Blacksmith, Acrobat, Sweep,” the original Tour de France, something totally new and untried and flawed in many ways, “should be considered as one of the greatest events in sporting history.”