Ride a Stage of the Tour de France: The legendary climbs and how to ride them

I have just got back from a month of riding some of the cols in the Alps. I took three books with me. This one was the most useful.The other two books had more and better reviews but were not much use if you wanted to actually do the climbs. They were more for the armchair and Tour du France fan.

I found this book to be different to others on the same subject from the point of view it talked you through the characteristics of the climbs. Im planning on riding quite a few of the climbs in the summer and although I enjoy the history of the climbs I wanted to know exactly where it gets steep and for how long, and where are the scenic bits are....I enjoyed it

Great book full of interesting facts which should help me climb Most Ventoux.

Excellent book if you plan to ride the tour mountains, clear explanations of climbs and how they feel. Some very good tips!

I purchased as a gift for a son who is an avide cyclist and is soon to attend the Tour de France.

I used this book when I toured the French Pyrenees, with 90 lbs of bags and bike.My itinerary was:Col du PortelPort de PailheresCol de ChioulaAx-3-DomainesPlateau de BeilleCol de PortPort de LersCol d'AgnesCol de LatrapeGuzet NeigeCol de Portet d'AspetCol de MenteCol du PortillonSuperbagneresCol de PeyresourdeCol de Val Louron-AzetPla d'AdetCol d'AspinCol du Tourmalet (La Mongie)Luz ArdidenHautacamCol de CouraduqueCol du SoulorCol d'AubisqueCol de Marie BlanqueCol d'IchereCol de SoudetCol de SuscousseI found the book to be invaluable for its detail for anyone attempting the Pyrenees, and also the Alps,(which I had previously toured with a far inferior Alps guidebook). I found his Alpine chapters just as detailed and helpful, and he includes Jura and Vosges mountain climbs, too.Bauer lists elevation and gradient information, along with Tour de France categorie designations (such as Categorie 1, Hors Categorie, etc.), and goes into descriptive detail of the nearby towns, the terrain, weather, services, and everything else you need to know when tackling these world-class climbs.Also included is Tour history so you know the significance when you're standing in the village of Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, by the forge where Eugene Christophe had to repair his own forks in the Tour of 1913. Want to know the exact turn where Ullrich fell and Armstrong waited on the Col de Peyresourde? He gives you the exact spot.I can't imagine a better resource for your tour of these Tour de France stages, and I only wish he had included all of the Cols and ski stations that I actually rode, but that would have only improved on perfection!

Be aware before purchasing that this book is an English translation of a 2006 German guide, hence the many T-Mobile and Ullrich shots. Plenty of Lance and Kloden too if you like that sort of thing. It reads like a slightly out of date guide-book with a stilted prose style. Basic climb detail is OK, but can't help thinking a larger format would work better to make more of some good pictures. Overall a disappointing purchase.

This book is well presented and laid out in an easy to understand way. A must have for anyone thinking of riding these passes, as the author has already done. I would highly recommend it.

ロードバイクに興味を持った時から、本場ヨーロッパの自転車レース（のコース）はどんなものなんだろうと思うことは当然のことと思われる。有名なツール・ド・フランスの山岳ステージの山々を、実際に自分で走るように案内してくれるこの本は特におすすめと思う。自分は英語は得意でないので、その本の見てくれだけで判断してしまうのだが、本のタイトル、主要情報のまとめ、コースマップ、コース勾配、景観の写真など、その構成がすばらしい。