Mont Ventoux, l’Alpe d’Huez, Col d’Aubisque, Col d'Izoard, Col du Tourmalet are just a few of the most infamous Tour de France climbs. The Tour de France favorites rise to the occasion hammering the uphills, measuring each other’s fitness and occasionally attempting to breakaway for a stage win. While the overall general classification Tour winner is most often determined in the alpine landscape, there are additional competitions within the Tour de France.

The San Jose Public Library has a collection of Tour de France media including books and DVDs. Inside the Tour de France : The Pictures, the Legends, and the Untold Stories of the World's Most Beloved Bicycle Race is a compendium of stories and photographs of the legends of the Tour de France. It was published in 2006 and includes Lance Armstrong’s historic seventh win.

The Official Tour de France Centennial, 1903-2003 celebrates 100 years of the world’s most famous bike race. It contains photographs and anecdotes from the Tour de France archives and was produced in connection with L’Equipe, France’s daily sports newspaper and originator of the Tour.

Another title in the Library’s collection is Tour de France/Tour de Force: A Visual History of the World’s Greatest Bicycle Race. This book features hundreds of photographs and tells the tale of the Tour dating back to its beginnings. There are illustrations of the evolution of the Tour de France bicycle, chapters on race strategies, race results dating back to 1903 and a section on the Tour’s unfortunate link to the use of performance enhancing drugs.

Check out more Tour de France titles at the San Jose Public Library.